


The Sigils

by EtherealStarryNights



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Drama, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Ice powers Elsa, Princess Anna, Protector Elsa, Three Phases in this story, We on the second phase hehe, actual slow burn, non-incest, slow burn I think?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:08:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 35
Words: 272,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24660571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EtherealStarryNights/pseuds/EtherealStarryNights
Summary: “Pinky promise that you’ll be stuck with me, Elsa?”Raising her own pinky and wrapping it around the girl’s, “I pinky promise you, Anna.”Elsa is bred to become Anna’s Protector and Captain of the Royal Guard, but she also hates breaking promises. Through a series of events and uncontrollable factors, she's bound to be challenged in keeping her promises.
Relationships: Anna & Elsa (Disney), Anna/Elsa (Disney)
Comments: 247
Kudos: 383





	1. The Promise

“Anna, where are we going?” Elsa giggled as she watched the young princess pull her through the grand halls of the castle that they call home. The 5-year-old red head turned towards Elsa with her teal eyes shining brightly with mischief at the older girl’s inquiry, her freckles scattered all over her face scrunching up with the movement of her the small, mischievous laugh that she gave. She wore her light, green nightgown, flowing with each step that she had took.

“I want to show you something.” Anna pulled along the 7-year-old girl wearing a large shirt through the dark halls of the castle. Elsa couldn’t help but have her heart swell at how the younger seemed so excited to show her around the castle. Eventually, they reached the East Wing of the castle, passing by the library and ending up at a room at the end of the hall.

“Your Highness!” Elsa exclaimed as the young Princess placed a finger on the elder girl’s lips.

“None of that, Elsa. We’re best friends, even if you’re my protector.” The girl smiled before gently opening the door. A slight creak sounded from the door, causing the young Princess to slightly flinch. Once the door was wide open, Anna’s teal eyes looked down the hall, making sure that no one was there before immediately pulling Elsa into the room and gently closing the door again.

Anna reached up to flick on the light switch to unveil a room that had a desk in the middle with a grand chair. There were a few chairs lined up on one side of the room as well as a few bean bags on the corner of the room. The middle of the room was empty and bare, while there was another door to the left of the room that led to the balcony.

The younger girl waddled her way towards the desk, being blocked by it temporarily before the sound of something being pushed was heard. Anna appeared once more, pushing a large box towards the door that led to the balcony. The redhead stood on the tip of her toes to open the door to the balcony, introducing a gust of cool wind into the room.

The small girl immediately opened the box to unveil a picnic basket, a purple and green checkered blanket and another fluffy, green blanket.

The young Princess immediately ran outside the door, her tiny body shivering while she laid out the checkered blanket on the balcony floor and placed the picnic basket in the middle of the blanket as a weight. She trotted back inside, grabbing the green blanket before waddling her way towards Elsa, still standing near the door and watching the younger girl in awe.

The princess grabbed Elsa’s hand and tugged her towards the balcony. With a sigh, Elsa obeyed the Princess and followed her lead until they sat on the checkered blanket. The redhead emitted a small giggle before excitedly opening the picnic basket, her tiny body shivering from the cold. Elsa’s lip curved downward in a frown, scooting over to sit right next to the Princess where the abandoned, green blanket laid. Picking it up, she draped it over the Princess’s shoulders.

“Anna, you’re going to get a cold.” Elsa murmured. The Princess’s teal eyes looked up, and as she opened her mouth, her teeth unintentionally clattered.

“I-It’s okay!” the girl smiled brightly at her Protector before averting her attention back to the basket, digging through as if she urgently needed to find the item that would change the entire world.

“We can always come back tomorrow afternoon when it’s a bit warmer. I don’t want you to get sick.” Her pale hands reached forward to wrap the blanket much more tightly around the Princess.

The young girl ignored her friend’s comment. Instead, her teal eyes lit up as she yanked out a small box within the basket. The princess opened the box, showcasing twelve truffles neatly packed within the box. She looked up, giving a dopey smile to the platinum-blonde haired girl.

“I heard from Gerda that there would be a ton of shooting stars tonight! And well, I wanted to watch them with you.” Elsa’s blue eyes softened at the Princess and she felt her heartbeat against her chest at a quickened pace. “I also asked the Chef if he could make me truffles, but he was only okay with making them because he thinks it’s a gift for you. I mean, it is all yours, but maybe you can share?” Anna bashfully said, her eyes looking up at the night sky.

“But Princess, I don’t want you to get sick.” Elsa replied, reaching over to rub the girl’s arm gently. The teal eyes that were once bright had suddenly dampened. The Princess frowned, her teal eyes meeting the blue while her bottom lip jutted forward in a pout.

“I’ll be okay, Elsa. I just wanted to do this with you. Gerda said how these shooting stars don’t happen often, and that people do it with the ones they love and well… I love you. But I understand if you want to head in.” Elsa’s eyes softened even more, and before the Princess can stand up, Elsa pulled the younger girl into a hug. She placed her cheek on the side of Anna’s head.

“I’m sorry, Anna. I should be more grateful that you thought about me and did this for us. We can stay, okay? And I’ll be here to keep you warm.” Elsa mumbled. She looked down at the girl to see her teal eyes brighten once more, and Elsa would literally kill to keep those eyes bright and happy.

“Yay! Okay, let’s eat.” Anna exclaimed. She pulled away from Elsa before snuggling against the younger girl’s side and placing her head on her shoulder. Anna gazed at Arendelle, admiring the city lights. The younger girl picked up a truffle, looked up at Elsa and brought the truffle to the older girl’s lips.

“Say ah!” The princess giggled, watching her friend open her mouth in response. The Princess felt her Protector’s lips brush against her fingers as she took a bite down on the truffle. Those long eyelashes flutter to a close and the blonde lets out a satisfied hum. Anna ate the remaining truffle, letting out her own, content hum and closing her eyes in bliss.

Out of the corner of her eye, Elsa saw a flash of light. She immediately looked upward to discover the start of the shooting star show. She looked down at the Princess, a small smile perched upon her face when the Princess’s eyelids were still closed. The Protector grabbed her chin, and eyelids opened to have teal meet blue. Elsa lifted Anna’s chin to gesture at the falling stars.

With a small squeal, Anna kept her gaze up at the sky and cuddled even closer to Elsa.

“Isn’t it pretty?” Anna asked, keeping her gaze up at the sky. Elsa, on occasions, would glance down at the Princess before her.

“It is indeed, Your Highness.” Elsa looked up again, only to immediately look down when she felt a warm blanket also engulf her body. Anna wrapped the blanket around both of their tiny bodies and snuggled her warm body even deeper into Elsa’s, her exposed arm rubbing against Elsa’s own.

“I’m glad that I can see this with you.” Anna momentarily shifted her teal eyes to the blonde, and Elsa felt her heart beat wildly against her chest. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Anna looked back up at the falling stars.

“Do you think we can make multiple wishes since there are multiple shooting stars?” The young Princess inquired.

“I don’t know if it works that way. Maybe you should wish for one thing that you would want first, and then you can make other wishes that will follow after your first wish.”

“Hmmm, okay. Papa did say never to be greedy.” The Princess said before deciding to continue. “I wish that you would stay in my life forever, Elsa.”

Elsa laughed at the girl, wrapping her arm around her shoulders underneath the blanket.

“Silly, you don’t have to wish for that. I will always be here for you; it is my job after all.”

The Princess shook her head. “But I want you to be here with me forever. Mama and Papa always talk about people who will come and go in your life, but I don’t want you to do that. I want you to be with me forever, even if it might not be your job anymore.”

If Elsa’s beating heart wasn’t loud enough, she would think that even the people below would be able to hear her heart racing.

“I promise you that I will not leave your life. I will always be here for you, Anna. I will always make sure that you will be happy and safe.” She whispered. The five-year-old girl shifted her gaze back to Elsa and saw the soft eyes that her protector was giving her. The Princess stuck her pinky out.

“Pinkie promise me that you will be stuck with me, Elsa.” The Princess declared, knowing how important pinky promises were to the both of them. Elsa nodded her head, raising her own pinky and wrapping it around the smaller girl’s one.

“I pinky promise you, Anna.”

* * *

**Ten Years Later**

A seventeen-year-old Elsa wearing a light blue, long sleeve and black leggings released a small huff of breath when she had parried an incoming attack. It was a continuous assault against two enemies, side stepping each jab or blocking each swing with her wooden sword. Her single, loose braid slightly swung with every dodge she made.

Eventually, she was able to disarm a blonde boy that was a year younger than her. The boy’s brown eyes widened when his sword was flung out of his hands.

“Whoa.”

Through Elsa’s peripherals, she ducked the swing of a wooden sword. She turned around and immediately slid backwards to block another swing from the same sword.

The wooden sword was coming down onto Elsa, as she swung hers upward to disarm the wielder, only to feel a small force against her side. The sound of a clunk resonated throughout the room. Elsa’s lips curved downward as her blue eyes looked down to see a small, wooden dagger being the source that hit her side and caused the sound.

She felt her platinum-blonde hair being ruffled, and she looked up into blue eyes that were identical to hers. The man that held those blue eyes had jet, black hair and a seemingly friendly smile.

“Never assume that your enemy only has a sword, Elsa.” The man announced. Elsa nodded her head and looked down at her own, wooden sword.

“That won’t happen again, father.” Elsa’s blue eyes hardened, looking down as she contemplated her failure.

_I can’t keep making mistakes like these._

“No worries, my daughter. It’s better that you learn now then when you’re actually in the field.” The man said, patting the girl’s shoulder before turning towards the younger boy.

“Kristoff, good job trying to keep up. Although, you still have much more to learn. You should’ve immediately jumped away from your sister instead of allowing fear and shock to overcome you.” Their father scolded. Kristoff nodded his head quickly and looked down.

“I won’t do it again, father.”

“Good. In the case that Elsa is not with the Princess, which I hope will never be the case.” Their father’s blue eyes gazed at his eldest child. “You will need to step in to protect the Princess. Even though you are not the Princess’s sole protector, it is good to know how to defend the royal family.” The man said.

Kristoff quickly nodded his head and watched as his father threw the abandoned, wooden sword at Kristoff. The boy, caught off guard by the throw, fumbled with it slightly in his hands before securing a grip onto it.

Their father let out a disappointed sigh, causing Kristoff’s brown eyes to sadden. Elsa’s lips curved downard at her father’s interaction with her younger brother.

It was no surprise that their father’s clear favorite was Elsa. It was as clear as day that their father would always encourage Elsa and give her feedback with a slight smile during their fights, but berate Kristoff when it came to the, sometimes repetitive, mistakes that he had made.

Elsa immediately turned around and parried an attack that her father was making at her when she had heard his quiet, steady footsteps approaching her. The fight continued, Elsa elegantly and fluidly dodging each attack that was planned and unplanned by her father and Kristoff. She was able to disarm Kristoff once more, and immediately reacted by spinning to dodge a dagger that her father had thrown her way. She looked at the man to see that he was lunging at her once more, and she blocked each and every attack. Even though one dagger was gone, she kept in mind of her father’s advice prior to the fight.

Elsa decided that she needed to bait any unknown weapons. She intentionally left herself open and pretended as if she was not seeing her father pull out another wooden dagger. When it was thrown, Elsa blocked that one as well with ease and continued to try and bait out any mysterious weapons that her father could have held.

Kristoff, learning from his lesson, would also occasionally jump back into the fight. Although, Elsa was able to easily disarm him and fling his sword into the air. Elsa knew that she had baited out all of her father’s weapons when his grip on his own wooden sword tightened.

Her father’s wooden sword clashed against Elsa’s. Elsa measured the tension inflicted on her sword.

_I can’t keep up with father’s strength, which means I should jump back and avoid these types of attacks._

Elsa jumped back swiftly, but watched as her father didn’t lean forward, as if he knew that his daughter would have retreated. Elsa noted that by him keeping his balance, he wouldn’t have fell forward and given her an opening.

Suddenly, a couple of knocks were heard at the door. The man raised his hand at his daughter and son before turning his gaze towards the door and yelling a “Come in.”

The door opened to unveil a middle-aged man with blonde, sandy hair, green eyes and a mustache: King Agnarr. The king’s green eyes looked between the Captain of the Royal Guards and his children.

Elsa immediately got onto one knee and bowed at the King’s presence. Her father followed in suit, sending a look towards Kristoff as he stood in the room with his head cocked to the side. When he saw his father’s look, the boy immediately followed in suit of his eldest sibling and father.

“Your Majesty, to what do I owe the pleasure of this fine afternoon?” Her father’s voice asked.

From Elsa’s peripherals, she could see that the King stepped a bit more forward into the room. Although, Elsa, Kristoff and their father were on the lower ledge of the room that was separated by two steps. Elsa kept her head and gaze down, waiting for what the King needed to say until she felt herself be pulled up, her upper body slightly angled so that the top of her head rested on a small shoulder. She felt slim arms wrap around her mid-section and heard the angelic voice that she looked forward to each and every day.

“Elsaaaaaaa! It’s lunch time.” the voice whined. Elsa looked up to be met with the Princess’s teal eyes, a small pout perched upon her lips and her strawberry, blonde hair being framed by twin braids. Her soul felt ignited at the touch of the Princess, who was dressed in a casual, green summer dress in front of her. Elsa heard the King chuckle in the background.

“My daughter is very adamant on having her Protector attend every meal with her. She refuses to eat unless your daughter is by her side.” The King noted. “I just wanted to put a halt on your training for now. Your family needs a beak anyways, Brandon.”

“Very well, your Majesty.” Brandon replied curtly. Elsa saw the King’s green eyes roll at her father’s courtesy.

“Please, Brandon. We are childhood friends, are we not? You do not always have to address me in that sort of way. As I’ve told you before, Agnarr for you is just fine.” The King scolded.

 _Huh, I guess the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree._ Elsa watched her father release a small, chuckle.

“Well, I have to set an example for my children.”

With another roll of an eye, the King addressed his daughter.

“Come on Anna, let’s go eat before your mother throws a fit.” The King then turned to Brandon and his youngest son. “You two are also always welcome to join us.” Then the King averted his attention back to his daughter, but his green eyes focused on her Protector. “Elsa, Anna won’t eat without you by her side, so you’re expected. Queen’s orders.” The King said amusedly before turning around and walking out of the room.

“Come on, Elsa! I’m starving.” The young Princess exclaimed, grabbing Elsa’s hand and pulling her up from her position on one knee. Once the Protector maintained her balance, she felt the young girl pull her along, out of the training room and towards the dining hall.

“Anna, be careful!” Elsa exclaimed as they barely brushed against someone holding a stack of glass plates.

“Time’s a wasting!” Anna said, briefly peering over her shoulder without realizing who she was going to run into next. Elsa acted quickly and took a step to the side before pulling the Princess into her, causing the young girl to slam against Elsa’s front.

Elsa heard a quick and relieved ‘thank you’ from one of the workers before gazing down at Anna with an eyebrow raised. Both of the Princess’s arms were now rested against Elsa’s chest while Elsa had one arm wrapped around the Princess’s waist and another in front of her own body, their hands still clasped together.

“You have to watch where you’re going, Anna. Someone is going to get hurt if you keep this up.” Elsa scolded. The strawberry blonde looked up at her Protector with a dopey smile.

“That’s why I have you! You keep me out of danger.” And Elsa’s heart started thumping against her chest.

 _Oh god, why does she know how to always make my heart pick up like this?_ Elsa’s eyes widened slightly when the young girl tiptoed to place a small kiss on Elsa’s cheek, and suddenly the room felt ten times hotter. The two stayed like that, with Anna’s teal eyes gazing up at Elsa while the latter’s face quickly flushed.

A cough was heard, but the two did not jump away from each other. Instead, the two girls looked up and turned their heads to see Elsa’s father and Kristoff standing there. Brandon had a small smirk plastered on his face while Kristoff uncomfortably stood next to his father, looking down at his feet.

“Shouldn’t you two be heading to the dining hall?” Brandon inquired, watching his daughter face flush even more while Anna merely gave the Captain a smile.

“Right! Come on, Elsa. Let’s go!” the young Princess stepped slightly back from her Protector and dragged her down the hall.


	2. The Study

The couple walked down the hall until they reached familiar double doors. Anna pushed the doors open to unveil her father sitting at the head of the table and her mother sitting to the right of him. Anna’s mother, Queen Iduna, had blue eyes and wore her brunette hair in a crown braid. The Queen looked between the two with a raised eyebrow.

Anna continued to drag Elsa closer to her parents. She let go of Elsa’s hand once they were across from the Queen, where the young Princess skipped over to the opposite side to briefly plant a small kiss on her mother’s cheek.

“Hi Mama.” Anna then proceeded to give her father a kiss on the cheek before going back to where she had left Elsa, to which had pulled out a chair for the Princess to sit in. Anna gave Elsa a small smile before sitting down as Elsa pulled the chair out of the table next to Anna to claim her usual seat.

“How was your training, Elsa?” the Queen asked.

“It’s getting a bit more difficult, but nothing that I can’t handle just yet.” Elsa replied to the Queen.

Elsa felt a soft graze against her thigh. She immediately shifted her gaze down to see Anna’s left hand placed on top of Elsa’s thigh. The Protector looked up at the Princess to see her humming a tune while she was eating her lunch.

“How was your day, your Majesties?” Elsa asked, feeling Anna tug at the hem of her shirt. Elsa placed her right hand down onto her lap, feeling the Princess’s hand that was once on her thigh intertwine with Elsa’s right hand.

“Elsa, stop with the formalities! You can just call us Uncle and Aunt.” The King scolded. “But you know how it is Elsa; the usual paperwork. If only this one would learn how to help me with it.” The King chuckled, looking towards his only daughter who shrugged her shoulders in response.

“It hurts my head, father. Paperwork is also so boring!” Anna exclaimed. Elsa felt Anna’s hand start to tense suddenly. Knowing that this was a somewhat tense topic, and the center of all arguments when it came to father and daughter, Elsa started rubbing soothing circles with the pad of her thumb on the back of Anna’s hand.

“Anna, you know you have to learn how to take responsibility soon. You are the next, reigning heir to Arendelle after all.” The Queen scolded.

“Ugh but mama! Coronation isn’t for another six years.”

“It’s good to get a head start now dear.” The Queen stated.

“But with all my studies on other countries, Arendelle’s history and being proper, don’t you think paperwork would be the least of my priorities in my education?”

“Anna…” the King asserted. Anna slightly shrunk in her seat, her teal eyes turning towards Elsa. Elsa felt the Princess’s gaze and saw the desperation in her eyes. Giving the Princess a small smile, Elsa decided to speak up.

“Uncle Agnarr and Aunt Iduna, I understand and agree with you completely that Anna should get a head start on these types of duties.” Her statement caused both of Anna’s parents’ eyes to light up, while Anna glared at Elsa. Elsa is sure the royalties’’ eyes lit up because of her statement and how she had addressed them. They’ve always scolded her about addressing them any other way. “But she does make a point that it may be overwhelming at times. I know Anna is an intelligent individual and will be magnificent when she does become Queen.” Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw redness creep upon Anna’s cheeks. “But it would be best if she takes things at her own pace, one step at a time. We know how much she hates being rushed after all.”

Elsa watched as the two Royals consider her words while Anna was trying to recover from Elsa’s little speech. Elsa, on the other hand, heard footsteps entering the room and turned to see her father and brother. Her father bows with her brother following in suit.

“Your Majesties, thank you for allowing us to eat with you this fine afternoon.” Elsa’s father greets. King Agnarr rolls his eyes again while Queen Iduna laughs at her husband.

“Please Brandon, you only need to call us by our first names after all.” The Queens says. Elsa’s father rolls his blue eyes before making his way to sit next to the Queen.

“Need to set an example for my children, Iduna.” He grumbles. The Queen sends a look of daggers at her friend’s way.

“Well, I doubt that is needed considering how close your eldest is to my daughter.” The Queen then gestures to the two girls.

Kristoff approaches his sister, pulling out his own chair to take a seat. His brown eyes glance at his sister briefly before catching sight of something he was hoping not to see. Kristoff looks away immediately, and instead tries to focus his gaze on the Royalties.

“Hello, your Majesties, your Highness.” Kristoff greets with a smile. The King sends the young boy a friendly smile as well.

“No need to be so formal dear boy. You may call me Uncle Agnarr, as you may call the queen Aunt Iduna.”

Kristoff nodded his head before his gaze solely focused on Anna. The young Princess smiled at the boy.

“Kristoff, we’re friends as well. You can also just call me by my first name.” The boy nodded again and decided to turn his attention to the food.

“So, are you guys going to continue training again?” the King asked. Elsa’s father shook his jet, black hair in response.

“No, I think we’ve trained enough for today.” This caused both Anna’s and Kristoff’s eyes to brighten at Brandon’s statement. Elsa turned towards the girl to be met with teal eyes gazing into Elsa’s blue ones, a large smile perched upon her face. The Protector felt her heart hammer against her chest.

They kept their gaze until Kristoff’s voice broke through their eye contact.

“-if you would be available?” Was all that Elsa heard. She turned towards her brother to see his cheeks slightly red and his brown eyes shifting to the ground, a nervous grin perched upon his lips.

_What did I miss out on?_

“Only if Elsa can come as well.” Anna stated firmly. Elsa turned towards the redhead now, cocking her head to the side.

Kristoff mumbled, “Uhm… uh sure, why not. I mean, the more the merrier, I guess.” Elsa turned her gaze back towards her younger brother to see a look that Elsa has grown accustomed to throughout their trainings together. _Was that disappointment? But why?_

“Great, okay! Mama, Papa, may Elsa and I be excused for lunch? If we’re going to go on our excursion, I would want to get a head start on my studies.” The two Royals nodded their head and before Elsa could even blink, she felt herself being yanked out of her chair by the Princess and dragged out of the dining hall. Elsa turned towards the royals and waved her free hand.

“Thank you again for lunch!” the blonde exclaimed before she was dragged out of the dining room and down the hall towards the East Wing of the castle. The two eventually reached the door that was next to the King’s study and library. Anna pushed open the door, dragging the blonde into the room before slamming the door shut.

The room still maintained the same layout as it did ten years ago. The only difference that made Elsa’s eyes slightly widen was the shelves of books that once occupied the empty wall behind the grand chair. _Since when did those books get in there? Are those Anna’s study books?_

“Do you like it?” She heard the Princess whisper in the blonde’s ear. Elsa shivered slightly, feeling the Princess’s breath brush against her ear and her body pressed against her own. She looked down to see the girl gazing up at her with that same smile and bright, teal eyes from earlier today in the dining room and in the halls. Elsa’s heart started hammering against her chest again.

She opened her mouth, regretting how she lacked her usual confidence in her words.

“U-uh S-sure.” Her response caused Anna to frown and Elsa’s heart dropped. Anna’s once bright teal eyes dampened and look to the ground.

“Oh… I thought you might have liked it since you always like reading. Most of these books are all for leisure for whenever you would want to hang around here and read while I study. Maybe I should have added a chess set instead? Or maybe something else like a pantry where we can hold our chocolates? Or maybe -” the Princess started to ramble, her teal eyes shifting anywhere but at Elsa.

Elsa’s eyes widened at the Princess’s consideration. Regaining back her confidence, the Protector shook her head, grabbing Anna’s face between both of her hands to avert the girl back to her. Elsa felt as if a dagger had stabbed her heart when she saw those teal eyes water up, tears threatening to roll down those soft cheeks.

When they had made eye contact, the first tear was released. Elsa immediately caught it with the pad of her thumb, wiping it away as quickly as possible.

“Anna, I’m sorry if my reaction misguided you. I love it, I really do. Thank you for implementing it, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”

Anna held her breath momentarily before smiling, additional tears running down her cheeks that Elsa readily wiped away. The Protector pulled the Princess into an embrace, wrapping her arms around the Princess’s shoulders while Anna wrapped her arms around Elsa’s waist.

Elsa dug her nose into the top of Anna’s head, inhaling the sweet smell of strawberry that caused Elsa’s heart to beat wildly against her chest. Anna shoved her face into the crook of Elsa’s neck, tightening her hold around the blonde while Elsa placed a small kiss on Anna’s forehead.

“I don’t ever want to let you go.” Anna mumbled into the crook of Elsa’s neck. Elsa giggled at the girl’s clinginess before attempting to pull away. Anna kept her grip tight, and their bodies continued to stick to one another.

“You have to get to your studies if you want to do whatever we are supposed to do with Kristoff. Speaking of which, what are we supposed to do with him?”

“He offered to go out during the evening to walk around town and grab some food.”

Elsa’s raised an eyebrow at that statement, still maintaining their proximity.

“And why was it necessary for me to go?”

“Because I want you there. I always want you with me.”

Elsa’s lip curved upward at the Princess’s confession. _Anna is literally going to be the death of me._

“Shouldn’t we get studying then?”

“Five more minutes.” Anna grumbled. Elsa let out a small giggle.

“How about I can read to you and we can cuddle for the next five minutes before you get back to work?” Anna let out a content hum in agreement. The Princess loosened her grip around the blonde and pulled away. When Elsa’s hands landed on her side, Anna grabbed one and intertwined their fingers together for the millionth time that day. The Princess pulled along the Protector towards the bookshelves behind the desk, picking a book and dragging Elsa towards the beanbags.

Elsa took a seat, accepting the book that Anna had chosen before the Princess settled herself on Elsa’s lap. The redhead leaned her body against the blonde, placing her head on Elsa’s shoulder. Meanwhile, Elsa’s fingers flipped through the pages of the book, finding the one page that had a small, piece of paper jutting out slightly from the side. The Protector started reading the novel in her hands for the next three minutes.

“I really like it when you read to me.” Anna murmured softly, her breath hitting against Elsa’s neck, causing the latter to shiver.

“I’ll read more for you once you get started on your studies.”

“Can you help me?” The Princess inquired. Elsa felt those teal eyes gaze into her soul.

“I can try.” And with that, the Princess immediately stood up and extended her hand for her Protector to grab. Elsa couldn’t help but laugh at the girl’s sudden eagerness.

“Someone seems keen to start their studies.” Elsa teased, feeling herself being pulled up by the Princess. Elsa trailed behind the redhead towards the desk, being pushed into the grand chair while Anna claimed her rightful position on Elsa’s lap. As if this was a common thing, Elsa wrapped her arms around the girl’s waist while Anna opened the drawer to unveil a book, pieces of parchment paper, a pen and another stack of written letters.

Elsa head cocked to the side at the familiar sight of her own handwriting. “You kept my letters?”

The girl in her lap turned to face her once she had placed the books, papers and pens on the table.

“Of course, I did, silly.” Anna said, as if the idea of _not_ keeping the letters was absurd. Elsa raised her eyebrow, questioning the young girl. “I like it when you write to me… Your handwriting is really pretty, and your words make me happy. I like reading your thoughts and being inside that mind of yours.”

“Does it make you happy when I write to you? Even if we basically see each other every day?” Elsa chuckled. The redhead answered with a quick nod of her head.

“Yes, it makes me very happy, even if it’s about the most mundane things.”

Elsa hummed in contemplation. “How about I write you a letter every week?” The Princess’s lips curved upward in the most beautiful smile that Elsa has laid her eyes upon. _Anything to make you happy._

“Promise?” A pinky appeared in the middle of the empty space between the two. With another chuckle, Elsa released one arm around Anna’s waist. Bringing her hand up, she wrapped her own pinky around the girl’s.

“I promise.”

“Hehe, okay. I’m looking forward to them then.” Anna smiled before averting her attention back to the desk. The studying begun, with Anna muttering under her breath as she started reading texts from the book while Elsa was following along silently with her eyes. The two stayed in that position for the rest of the time. Elsa would test Anna on the readings while Anna would try to recall and implement them into actual scenarios. Besides having the paper being used for notetaking, Anna would occasionally jot down quick questions she had regarding certain hypotheticals for her father.

**Knock, knock, knock.**

“Come in!” Anna yelled from her seat. The door creaked open to unveil Gerda, the Head Housemaid of the castle. The woman looked at the Princess’s compromising position, restraining a small smirk that was creeping along her lips. Elsa couldn’t help roll her blue eyes at. _Gerda is too observant._

“Your Royal Highness, it seems like we are entering the hour of the evening. Kristoff wanted me to fetch you to see if you would still be available to go into the city.” Anna let out a small gasp, glancing out the balcony door to see the sun start to slowly damper in its brightness.

“Right, right, sorry! Can you tell Kristoff that we will be down shortly?”

“Will do, your Highness.” Gerda bowed before leaving the room. Once the door closed, Elsa felt Anna’s body weight shift so that the girl was leaning more into Elsa, her head rested comfortably on Elsa’s shoulder.

“Do we have to go?” she heard the Princess mumble against her shoulder. Elsa simply let out a small chuckle.

“You’re the one that agreed to going.”

“That’s because he’s your brother! I just feel bad sometimes for leaving him out, and this was his first time every trying to initiate an outing.” Anna exclaimed. Elsa tilted her head in confusion, racking her brain at the Princess’s words.

_I guess Kristoff never does initiate these sorts of things. He’s always to himself, now that I think about it. Now that I also think about it, it seemed that he only wanted to go out with Anna._

This left an unfamiliar and uncomfortable feeling in Elsa’s gut. She didn’t know why, but just the idea of Anna hanging out with another individual, one on one without her, didn’t sit right. _Did Kristoff have feelings for Anna?_ She regretted what she said next.

“Maybe you should go out with Kristoff on your own? It’ll be good practice for him to learn how to be with you when I’m not around anyways.” Elsa suggested. She felt the whiplash of Anna’s braids against her cheek from the younger girl’s sudden movement away from her shoulder to glare into her blue eyes.

“What? No, I want you there! Besides, you promised that you will always be around, so why does he need practice anyways?” The redhead huffed.

“Well…” Elsa started, pondering on possible reasons as to why she wouldn’t be with Anna at all costs. She felt a finger being shoved against her chest.

“Don’t you dare break your promise, Elsa Winters! As Princess, I demand that there will NOT be a single instance where you will not be by my side. Do I make myself clear?” Anna growled, causing Elsa to release her hands around her waist to raise them up in defense.

“I wasn’t planning to break it! I was just thinking about possible hypotheticals.”“Well, stop, because those hypotheticals will never happen.” The small girl grumbled. Elsa sighed, nodding her head because she knew she would not win an argument against the Princess. _Stubborn girl._

“Okay, but we should get going.” Elsa said softly. Anna nodded her head, taking a deep breath in before exhaling out.

“Ok, let’s go.” And with that, Anna hopped off of Elsa’s lap. Elsa followed in suit, planting her feet on the ground and immediately feeling Anna’s hand reach over her own to intertwine their fingers. Elsa’s observant, blue eyes watched as Anna smiled down at their intertwine hands before leading them out of the room and in the direction to the front of the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. Thanks for showing interest :) I've kind of mapped out the "pre-character development stage" which should be relevant to the actual main plot line. It may take a while, but I have about half of this stage written (just a matter now of re-reading and adjusting). It'll be a pretty long journey, but I'm determined to have this be finished! Anyways, thanks for reading!


	3. Our Study

The two eventually reached the entrance of the castle where Kristoff was leaning against the wall. The boy’s eyes lit up, and he suddenly stood straight and tall when he spotted the Princess and her Protector. Kristoff, dressed in his usual black tunic and pants, waved at the two.

“Good evening, Princess Anna, Elsa.” His eyes focused onto the redhead. Elsa suddenly felt slightly uncomfortable, tugging her hand away from the royalty. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Anna’s lips slightly curve downward, but her gaze still kept on Kristoff.

“Hey Kris! Do you know where you want to go?” Anna asked. The trio started leaving the castle.

“I was thinking that we could look around at the shops that are still open and possibly grab food at one of the stands?” Kristoff suggested, walking next to Anna while Elsa trailed behind the couple.

Elsa felt slightly uncomfortable being around the two ever since the thought of Kristoff possibly having feelings for Anna came into her mind. She watched Kristoff give Anna his infamous grin. _You’re only here to do your job. After all, you are her Protector. Only her Protector._

“Is that fine with you, Elsa?” Elsa broke out of her trance. Anna looked at her, her teal eyes flashing with concern.

Elsa swiftly nodded her head and replied. “Yeah, anything is fine with me.” As the trio continued walking, Elsa would notice how Anna would occasionally glance behind her to attempt in meeting her eyes. The blonde responded each time with a small smile. Meanwhile, Kristoff would constantly try to maintain Anna’s attention by keeping a conversation going with her. With a small but silent huff, Elsa kept her senses up and her eyes on the lookout for any potential danger.

“Their desserts here are to die for! We could grab something savory next door and then possibly head to the plaza to sit near the fountain and eat?” Kristoff suggested. Anna nodded her head, turning towards Elsa to see that the girl was now looking anywhere but at the two, as if her Protector duties kicked in.

With a sigh, Anna turned back around and continued nodding and humming at Kristoff’s attempt to maintain a conversation. The trio grabbed their food before arriving at the plaza where Kristoff and Anna sat next to each other on the fountain while Elsa decided to sit on the ground in front of them.

Throughout the entire time, Elsa tried to avoid Anna’s worried looks. Although, she couldn’t help but notice the slight touches that Kristoff was subtlety making on Anna, whether if it was a graze on the arm or shoulder, or the brush of their hands. Each touch drove Elsa slightly more on edge, and she didn’t really know exactly why.

“We will be right back.” Was the last thing Elsa heard before feeling Anna’s hand on hers, yanking the blonde up suddenly. Anna started marching away from Kristoff until they reached the far side of the plaza. She released Elsa’s hand and glared at her with crossed arms.

“What’s wrong? Why have you been avoiding me?” Anna basically yelled. Elsa flinched at the girl’s venomous tone. She continued to look anywhere but at the girl in front of her, finding the bustling crowd slightly more appealing at the moment.

“Is it something that I did? If you didn’t want to go, you should’ve just told me so we could avoid this entirely.” The redhead hissed.

“You’re the one that dragged me into this.” Elsa calmly rebuttal, resilient on retaining her gaze at anywhere but the girl in front of her.

Anna abruptly released a begrudging groan, causing some heads to turn before the citizens continued on to mimd their own business. The redhead shot her hands forward to Elsa's face, forcefully turning her head so that she was finally able to meet the calm visage of the Protector. Elsa already knew when their eyes met that she was able to read right through it all.

"Why are you feeling so bothered?" Elsa could tell that the girl was trying to maintain stolid, but knowing the girl's artless, fervid personality, it was bound to break eventually.

"I'm not bothered by anything." 

"You're a liar." Elsa tried to shift her face away from Anna's grasp, but the Princess only tightened her hold and sustained the eye contact between the two.

"We don't have to be here, Elsa!" Anna's own patience was fleeting by the rise of her voice. "If I knew you were going to act this way, we wouldn't have gone to begin with."

Elsa only cocked her head to the side, Anna's hands following in suit. "Oh, so this is my fault?" Amusement leaked in her voice. "You're the one that brought me along."

“Because I felt bad!”

“Bad for what?”

“Bad for Kristoff!”

“Why?” The blonde's eyes narrowed.

“I told you why!”

“Really now? Because I think there’s more to it.” Her usual, imperturbable demeanor was starting to slip; she felt something within her want to burst through the seams. Elsa’s fist clenched unintentionally, and the bottom of her stomach felt like it was doing detrimental, backflips.

“What’s more to it?!” She hated the nagging feeling that was gnawing at her. She hated how little and small she truly felt when her mind started to wander and overthink. She hated how easily her heart reacted when it came to the girl in front of her. She wanted to build up walls around the organ in her chest, forbidding it from ever encountering any sort of feeling or emotion.

“Do you have feelings for him?” Elsa snapped. Anna stood there, mouth agape as she processed Elsa’s recent question.

“F-f-feelings for Kristoff?” Anna squeaked, her hands loosening around Elsa's face. Elsa felt her gut clench when Anna’s face started flushing a light pink. _Of course, she would have feelings for Kristoff! Ugh, he’s the sweet, kind and sensitive sibling._

“I can just leave you and Kristoff alone for the rest of the evening. I have to get up early for training anyways.” Elsa sighed. She pulled her head away and started to walk past Anna. She was halted to move any further when the Princess grabbed onto her arm.

“Wait, no. Don’t leave.” Anna whispered softly. Elsa barely heard the plea, but she immensely tensed up and turned around to look at the Princess’s pleading eyes.

“Although I may not be the best sibling nor close with Kristoff, I know him having a crush when I see one. This is the perfect opportunity for you, and don’t let me stop you.”

“But- “

“He’s clearly interested, and I’m sure that’s why he only wanted to do this evening thing with you one-on-one…”

“But- “

“And I get if you like him. I mean, he is benevolent. Heck, he’s sensitive which I know is something you like.”

Anna immediately pulled Elsa into her, placing her head against Elsa’s chest. The redhead’s grip was tight around Elsa’s waist. Anna looked up, her chin now resting on Elsa’s chest while Elsa’s mouth immediately closed at the sudden gesture.

“Please, let me speak and learn how to shut up with your reasonings for once.”

Elsa’s blue eyes looked down at the now, amused Princess.

“Okay, first off: I do not like Kristoff. At all. Never. Will never too. Secondly, I don’t care if he has feelings for me. I mean, I do now because I can be a bit more cautious when acting around him so that I don’t intentionally lead him on.” Elsa tilted her head to the side in confusion, causing a giggle to erupt from Anna’s mouth. The redhead’s lips curved upward in a smile.

“Thirdly and finally, I want you to stay because I enjoy your company. If you didn’t want to go, I would have been okay being stuck in our study all night, as long as it would be with you.” Anna finished confessing. The roles were now switched, as Elsa’s cheeks started to slowly flush while Anna reached one hand up to cradle one side of Elsa’s face. Anna caressed her cheek with the pad of her thumb.

_Our study?..._

Elsa felt a sudden rush of calmness and tranquility after Anna had explained herself. She was thankful for the Princess’s stubbornness for once.

“Now, would you want to go back to the castle so that we can spend the remainder of the night talking with each other before you have to rest for training?” Anna inquired. Elsa’s lip curved upward at the feeling of having Anna’s arms wrapped around her. She felt safe, secure and comfortable. Elsa briefly looked up to see her brother staring at them, but he looked away once he was caught.

Elsa shook her head. “No, it’s okay. Let’s hang out with Kristoff a little more before we head back.” She looked back down to see Anna’s lips curved downward, her grip on Elsa’s waist tightening.

“But what if I want to have you all to myself?”

Elsa’s breath was caught in her throat. There was only silence while Anna’s turquoise eyes gazed up at her Protector, waiting for her reply.

_Idiot, say something._

“Uh-uhm… How about we grab some dessert with Kristoff before we head back?”

“Humph, I’ll only agree if you promise we can have a sleepover tonight.”

“Fine, deal.” Elsa agreed, watching as the young Princess’s eyes lit up before she released Elsa from her grip. Needing a touch, Anna reached down to intertwine their fingers again. This time, the redhead stayed at her spot, waiting for Elsa to lead them back. Rolling her blue eyes, the blonde led the pair back to a curious Kristoff, who glanced down at their intertwine hands before looking back up at the Princess and his sister.

“Everything okay?” Kristoff asked.

“Yeah, everything is fine! Would you want to grab some desserts now and start heading towards the castle?” Anna immediately asked. Elsa attempted to release her hands from Anna, only for the girl to tighten her hold.

Kristoff glanced down at their intertwined hands again, causing Elsa to roll her eyes at her brother. _Obvious, much?_

“Yeah, sure. Let’s get going.”

The trio headed to the ice cream stand where Kristoff immediately decided on ordering vanilla. Elsa opted in on the chocolate fudge brownie while Anna stood there, her eyes wandering between each of the flavors.

“Urgh, I don’t know what to choose!” She flung her only free hand up while Elsa chuckled at the redhead’s indecisive antics.

Kristoff received his cone and took a lick from it. “Well, what are you thinking between?”

Elsa braced herself for the girl’s answer.

“Well, the Peanut Butter Chocolate sounds good but so does the smores! Although, there’s the caramel swirl chocolate which sounds pretty nifty if you ask me, and also the chocolate mint chip! But the chocolate, white chocolate swirl sounds like a good balance, but oh gosh, chocolate cheesecake!” The girl started rambling. The ice cream shop worker handed Elsa her ice cream cone, to which the girl thanked the owner with a smile.

“Well, what about chocolate fudge brownie?” Kristoff suggested, being one of the many people in the entire kingdom to know the girl’s love for chocolate.

“Elsa got that flavor.” She replied, as if it was the most obvious answer as to why she shouldn’t get that flavor. Kristoff looked confused.

“But why would that stop you?”

“Cause I’m obviously going to try hers…maybe practically eat the whole thing.” Anna said, mischievously turning towards Elsa, who safeguarded her ice cream in response and glared at the Princess. This only earned a small giggle from the younger girl.

“Mine.” Elsa growled. Anna smirked in response, turning her attention back towards the selection of ice cream.

“Could I please get the chocolate mint chip?” Anna asked sweetly. The worker nodded his head enthusiastically and started to scoop up the chocolate ice cream with mint chips into the cone.

Once they all received their ice cream, the trio began making their way towards the castle. Elsa felt a sudden warmth to her side. Anna shifted herself so that she had released Elsa’s hand but linked their arms together so that her body was leaning into Elsa’s. Elsa felt Anna’s gaze on her and shifted slightly, trying to avoid the Princess’s pleading gaze.

“Please?” She heard the young girl whisper. Elsa took a look at the Princess and _big, fucking mistake._ The girl was giving her Protector her infamous pout and pleading eyes. With a sigh, Elsa offered the girl her ice cream cone, to which the Princess’s entire face lit up as she took a lick from the cone.

The young girl shyly offered her flavor to Elsa.

“I know you like mint too, so I got this flavor for you.” She said excitedly, causing Elsa’s heart to swell at the thoughtfulness. With a small grin, Elsa reached forward to take a lick of the Princess’s ice cream as well.

The siblings and the Princess eventually reached the front of the castle, where Elsa’s ice cream cone was basically empty courtesy of the Princess herself.

Kristoff awkwardly rubbed his upper arm. “I-I can walk you back to your room, Anna?” the boy suggested.

“No, it’s fine. Elsa will walk me there herself anyways. You should get some rest Kristoff; I’m assuming you have training tomorrow the same time Elsa does?”

The boy’s eyes widened as he shook his head, Anna noted a tad bit too eagerly.

“No, I don’t actually. There are some trainings that my father wishes to only have with Elsa which makes sense considering he is your father’s Protector just like how she is yours.”

“Oh. Well nonetheless, you should get some rest anyways. You’ve had a long day.” Anna pushed. Although, Kristoff didn’t seem to get the message as looked down at the ground, stuttering his next statement.

“W-W-Well, si-si-since Elsa has early training t-tomorrow, I c-c-could help her out by w-w-walking you back?” His brown eyes then peered into his older sister’s blue ones. Elsa sighed as she saw her brother’s eyes seemingly plead and beg for her to permit it through his gaze.

“It’s okay, Anna. I’ll get a head start by taking a bath.” Elsa decided. Anna was now pouting and glaring at the girl that easily released her to the sharks. With a small chuckle, Elsa pulled Anna immediately into her body, causing the girl to give out a small squeak. Wrapping her arms around the Princess, Elsa placed her head to the side of Anna’s head so that the latter was blocking Kristoff’s line of vision. Elsa leaned forward, her lips brushing against Anna’s ear, and whispered to the girl.

“I’ll meet you in your room after I shower, okay?” Pulling away, Elsa looked down to see the pout and glare loosen slightly. Now, all Elsa saw were those bright, teal eyes that didn’t necessarily gleam with excitement but with something else. Was it hope? Elsa has never encountered this look from Anna before, but she had a feeling that it wasn’t anything unpleasant. _Well, I hope it’s nothing unpleasant._

Elsa released the Princess from her embrace and took a step back. The Princess maintained that look which Elsa couldn’t decipher. The Protector nervously rubbed the back of her neck, looking anywhere but at the Princess or her younger brother.

“Well, good night to the both of you.” Elsa spoke up. Before even taking a step past the two, Anna tiptoed in front of Elsa and placed a chaste kiss on Elsa’s cheek. The Protector’s breath hitched when she felt those soft, supple lips come into contact with her cheek. That unusual feeling in her chest and stomach arose once more. Anna pulled away slightly, looking up at the girl with a small smile before stepping to the side to allow Elsa to leave.

With flushed cheeks, Elsa immediately gave a shy smile to the Princess before making her way into the castle. She didn’t want to look at her brother, slightly afraid of what his reaction would have been. _If I was slightly caught off guard, Kristoff’s reaction probably would have been priceless._

The blonde made her way back to her room in the castle. Since her father was the King’s Protector and Captain of the Royal Guard, her entire family also lived in the castle. Elsa’s mother shared a room with her father while Elsa and Kristoff had their own rooms. For convenience and safety, Elsa’s room was down the hall from Anna’s in the case of her presence being required by the Princess.

When Elsa reached her bedroom, she immediately prepared a bath for herself. The blonde stripped out of her training clothes for the day and slipped into the bathtub. She loosened her braid, having her blonde tresses flow smoothly down her back and into the water. Elsa submerged herself into the bath so that only her nose and eyes were above the water. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose, holding her breath while her mind started to wander.

_What was that look Anna had given?_

She exhaled through her nose.

_Why couldn’t I decipher it for once considering that we’ve been best friends for our entire lives?_

She took an inhale of breath through her nose.

_Why am I experiencing this unfamiliar feeling around her?_

She released the breath of air through her nose.

_Am I bothered by the fact that Kristoff has a crush on her?_

She took in a breath again through her nose.

_I mean, his feelings could possibly blur his duty and job when it comes to trying to fight off any enemies._

She exhaled through her nose.

_Do I have feelings for Anna?_

Elsa’s eyelids opened quickly, unveiling her stormy, blue eyes. The Protector immediately lifted herself up so that the water was now to her breast. She quickly leaned her back against the porcelain curve of the tub.

 _Anna has always been touchy and clingy. She’s just an affectionate person in general. Don’t let her actions affect you like this. You have one job and one task. You can’t have your feelings obstruct your responsibilities._

Inhaling a deep breath through her lungs, Elsa submerged her entire head into the water. She wasn’t sure how long she had stayed underwater until she could faintly hear a small knock on her room door. Pulling herself upwards, Elsa quickly caught her breath and stood in the bathtub. Stepping out of the porcelain bowl, the blonde reached over to dry herself with a towel.

Another knock, a bit more persistent, was heard.

Elsa reached for a white bathrobe, wrapping it around her body and tying it at the middle before striding over to her room door. The knocks persisted at a much louder and more aggressive rate. Placing her hand on the doorknob, she slowly opened the wooden door to unveil the redhead in front of her. The girl seemed to have quickly rushed to her room, jumped into a bath, probably already set by Gerda or one of the maids when they were at the entrance of the castle, and changed into her light, green nightgown that reached right to the middle of her thighs. Her hair was in her classic, twin braids while her hand was now in the air, mid-way through a knock.

“Elsa.” Anna breathed, her teal eyes widening at the sight of the girl in front of her.

Elsa only offered a small nod to the Princess. “I thought I was going to meet you in your room?”

“I, I, uhm… I wanted to sleep in your bed, if that’s okay?” Elsa smiled at the Princess, opening the door a bit wider for the girl to walk through.

“A promise is a promise, your Highness.” The blonde’s azure, blue eyes followed as the Princess’s hand came to her side. When the young girl stepped into the room and past Elsa, the Protector closed the door and immediately felt arms wrap around her waist, a warm body pressed against her back.

Her eyes widening slightly, she slowly turned so that she was now facing the Princess. The Princess loosened her grip, only allowing Elsa to move in her arms before tightening it once more and burying her face into the crook of Elsa’s neck.

“What’s wrong, Anna?” the Protector immediately asked, wrapping her own arms around Anna’s shoulders. All things ran through her mind at the thought of something possibly going awry since she had left her at the front of the castle. _Did she have a confrontation with her parents? Did her and Kristoff get into an argument? Did Kristoff do something? If so, I swear I’m going to kill –_

“I just missed you.” Was all the Princess said, alleviating all pessimistic thoughts that ran through Elsa’s head. With a small chuckle, Elsa pulled away from the Princess and placed a kiss on her forehead.

“We literally saw each other an hour ago.”

“An hour too long!” The Princess complained, finally pulling away from Elsa just to gaze into her blue eyes. With a small smile, Elsa placed her hands on the Princess’s arms.

“I have to change into my night clothes, but you can wait in bed in the meantime?” Anna pouted, shaking her head in response.

“Come on, my darling. Patience is virtue.” Elsa cooed, her heart fluttering slightly when she thought back to what she had just called Anna. The Princess, seemingly unfazed by the pet name, sighed before unwrapping her arms around the Protector. The redhead poked her finger at the girl’s chest.

“You have three minutes.” And with that, Anna stomped her way towards the bed. The younger girl got under the covers, crossing her arms and glaring at the Protector with her teal eyes. Elsa shook her head, letting out a chuckle of amusement and walking over to her drawers where she grabbed an oversized t-shirt and underwear. The Protector immediately slipped back into her bathroom, dressing into her appropriate attire before walking out to meet the Princess’s smoldering gaze. Heat flushed into her cheeks when she noticed the Princess’s eyes shifting up and down her form.

The Protector walked forward, her knees feeling slightly weak when she noticed that Anna had an intense glint in her eyes that Elsa couldn’t identify. Elsa reached the bed, climbing into the covers and immediately felt the Princess snuggle into the older girl. The redhead wrapped her own arms around Elsa’s waist while the Protector settled herself onto the bed.

“Hi.” The redhead mumbled.

“Hello, your Highness.” Elsa spoke, wrapping an arm around Anna’s shoulder’s and playing with one of her braids. The young girl placed her head right above Elsa’s heart, hearing the steady heartbeat of the girl beneath her.

“How was the rest of your walk with Kristoff?”

The Princess groaned in response, earning another small, chuckle from Elsa. The Princess grabbed the hand that wasn’t stroking her hair, toying with Elsa’s fingers.

“It was… awkward, I guess? I mean, can he be any more obvious that he likes me? I don’t want to hurt his feelings, but at the same time, I am not interested at all.” Elsa’s blue eyes was kept on the Princess while the latter’s teal eyes were focused on Elsa’s hand.

“I mean, your parents did mention how looking at prospective suitors should be something you should consider.” Elsa teased. She watched as the Princess’s eyebrows furrowed together and her lip curve downward in a frown.

“Suitors, Smooters. If I am going to marry anyone, it’s because of love and nothing else.” Elsa hummed in response.

“I mean, that makes sense considering that you have been interested in romantic novels since you were ten.” Elsa teased. The Princess only rolled her eyes, sticking her tongue out playfully at the Protector. Anna shifted her gaze back to Elsa’s hand. The older girl only chuckled at Anna’s childish nature.

A small, moment of comforting silence entered the atmosphere until Anna spoke up. “What about you?” the Princess finally looked up to meet those blue eyes that she has grown accustomed to since she was born. Elsa felt her heart beating rapidly against her chest at the sight of the younger girl. _God, she’s beautiful._

“What about me?” Elsa gave an earnest laugh. Anna’s eyebrows only furrowed more.

“Well, your heart rate picked up so please, enlighten me.” And Elsa froze at that statement. “Now, it stopped because you’re shocked I called you out on it.” Now the Princess was smirking. Before having her heart expose any more emotions, Elsa caught herself and quickly responded.

“There’s nothing to enlighten you about.”

“Uh huh, sure. Well, is there anyone special in your life?” Anna inquired, and instantly, the thought of Anna flashed in her mind. For a moment, Elsa had her answer on the tip of her tongue. _It’s you, of course. But I can never endanger you like that._

“Nope, no one. There is no time anyways. I have a duty, you know?”

Elsa felt Anna’s head slightly shift on her chest, as if she was adjusting her head more to get a better view of the girl. Anna’s nose scrunched up slightly and she squinted her eyes at Elsa.

“Don’t make your duty as my Protector stop you from being with someone, Elsa.” Anna asserted, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world to do. Elsa sighed, her hand moving to now caress the girl’s back while her eyes were studying the Princess’s immaculate features.

_Oh, my dear, it isn’t my choice to say what stops my duty. Just like how it isn’t my choice on who I have feelings for._

“Don’t worry about me, Princess. If anything, I would worry about yourself and Kristoff.” Elsa reiterated smugly, watching as those teal eyes now rolled and an exasperated huff was released from the younger girl.

“No more talking about him.”

“Fine, fine.” Elsa smiled. The young girl turned her attention back to Elsa’s hand, playing with her fingers once more while Elsa gazed down at the girl, admiring those soft, benevolent teal eyes that can immediately convert to ones full of fire and passion, that cute, button nose that would scrunch in thought or when a putrid smell wafted into the room, and those moist, pink lips that would sometimes have the bottom lip be brought in when the younger girl was nervous.

Elsa admired every single, miniscule detail of the girl in her arms. _Even having her with me feels unparalleled to anything else that I have felt and held in my life._

“I like it when you do that.” The young girl purred, closing her eyes to hid away those teal gems. 

“When I do what?”

“When you stoke my back like that. I like being close to you and being in your arms. I like it when we have our sleepovers… especially when you read to me.” A mischievous grin stretched across the young girl’s face as one eye opened up to look at her Protector. Elsa rolled her eyes before nodding her head and feeling the Princess release her hand. Reaching over to the nightstand, Elsa grabbed a book that contained a bookmarker with green and purple ribbons sticking at the end of the bookmarker. Opening the book to the placeholder, Elsa smiled at the sight of the bookmarker.

It was a piece of cardstock with a photo of the Anna and herself in the middle. The photo was taken a year ago, when the two were in the gardens, feeding the ducks on one, sunny afternoon. _Speaking of ducks, we should really go do that again._

The bookmarker was made courtesy by the young girl in her arms. It was only used for books that they would read together when they would have sleepovers. Elsa always had the book on her bedside table in the case that the Princess did want her to read before they were to sleep - this was typically every time they did have a sleepover.

“Hmmmm… what part of the story are we at again?” Anna yawned, closing her eyes as she snuggled closer into her Protector. Elsa’s blue eyes skimmed the words on the pages for a moment.

“Our team are on their way to the city, but it seems like they had encountered a party of bandits.” Elsa replied.

“Okay. The Princess orders for you to continue.” Anna said, a hint of sarcasm and smugness in her voice. Elsa rolled her eyes and started reading to the younger girl in her arms.

About five minutes into the novel, when Elsa had thought the Princess had fallen asleep, the redhead spoke up.

“Have you ever heard of the Sigils of Silva?” the soft voice spoke. Elsa paused her reading, looking down at the girl to see that her eyes were still closed.

“No, I haven’t.” Elsa tried to rack her brain in regard to the topic from her studies. Silva sounded like a familiar kingdom, but Elsa couldn’t pinpoint exactly why.

“They remind me of the story we’re reading. They’re a team that go around the world, fighting against villains and what not. Apparently, they always wear these black cloaks and masks that are embellished with this rainbow jewel that can’t be found anywhere in the world.”

“And what makes people think that they’re from Silva?” The topic intrigued Elsa. Now that she thought about it, she recalled the spymaster of Arendelle always muttering something about the Kingdom of Silva and the Sigils. _I just thought that when the word sigil was brought up, it was only referring to symbols, not actual people._

“Two of the Sigils wear the Silva symbols. They each have a symbol on the back of their cloak, but they’re not all Silva. It’s just that… no one has actually stepped foot into the Kingdom of Silva. Other kingdoms do business with them, but it’s not like anyone has ever seen what their kingdom looks like or their people as well. When other kingdoms do business with them, it’s usually a ship with one of the Silva Sigils on it. They come, do trade and negotiation, and then leave.”

“Interesting… have you ever seen a Sigil before?” She felt Anna shake her head against her chest.

“No, I haven’t. Not a lot of people do, anyways. They go on missions and if anyone has seen the Sigil, it’s because they were rescued by them or killed by them.”

“Where do they usually lurk?”

“They’re all over the place, really. It’s just wherever there’s trouble or an event, for the most part.”

“And how do the people feel about the Sigils?”

“Well… it depends where you are, I guess. Some people fear them where Kingdoms tell their people to run as fast as they can if they were to ever spot one. Others despise them, such as the Southern Isles, and some adore them or are intrigued by them.”

“And how do you feel, your Highness?” Elsa freed her hand by setting the book on the bedside table, taking the bookmarker and placing it where they had left off. She closed the book and wrapped her arm securely around the girl’s arms that were around her waist.

“I’m intrigued, I guess. Although, they’re all rumors, and it’s not like I witnessed seeing a Sigil myself. Do I want to ever see them? Probably not, considering that they arrive when things start getting bleak.” Anna yawned.

“I have training at the break of dawn, so please don’t be scared that I may not be here once you awaken.” Elsa yawned herself.

“That’s fine.” Anna’s voice started getting drowsy. “As long as I see you for breakfast and lunch, that’s all that matters.”

“Queen’s orders, right?” Elsa giggled, feeling a weak shift on her chest and signaling that Anna was only nodding her head in response. When the older girl felt the Princess’s breathing start to shallow at a steady pace, she placed a small kiss on the top of her forehead.

“Goodnight Princess.” Elsa murmured as she felt her own eyelids get heavy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're building some character/relationship development so it'll all make sense when the real thing kicks in hehe.


	4. Spymaster Kallum

Elsa’s eyes fluttered open slowly. She let out a small yawn as she stuffed her face further into the young girl’s messy, red hair. Throughout the night, their sleeping position changed to where Elsa was now spooning the young, frazzled hair girl.

Inhaling a deep breath, Elsa started loosening her arms around the girl before exhaling as she removed her pale, thin arms around the Princess. Laying on her back, the Protector looked out of her own window to note that the color of the sky was a dark, navy blue.

The Protector sat up on the bed and swung her legs over the mattress, lightly hopping out of bed and padding her way over towards the drawers. Taking out her usual black leggings and light, blue long sleeve, the older girl immediately changed into her attire and tied her hair into her classic, single loose braid.

Once everything was in order, Elsa turned towards the sleeping Princess. She couldn’t help the small smile work its way towards her lips. The Protector walked towards the girl’s side and lifted the covers to tuck the redhead in. Her blue eyes studied the girl’s messy, bed head and couldn’t help but release a small laugh from her lips. Elsa patted the girl’s hair in an attempt to tame the hair, or at least brush it away from her forehead, before placing a small, loving kiss at the top of Anna’s head.

“Elsa…” Anna mumbled, her eyes barely fluttering open to unveil those teal beauties.

“Hi Anna. I have to head down to training now, okay?” The blonde said. The girl in the bed only nodded her head, letting out a yawn.

“M’kay. Don’t overwork yourself.” Anna reached over to Elsa’s light, blue shirt and pulled her down. The latter stumbled slightly downwards and immediately felt something moist against her cheek. Her breath hitched on her throat while the Princess slackened her grip on the older girl, laying back down onto the bed and submitting to sleep.

Her blue eyes gazed down at the Princess who was snoring once more. Elsa’s heart was hammering rapidly against her chest, and she felt her face heat up. _Oh god, what is this feeling in my gut again?_

Shaking her head away from her thoughts, Elsa turned on her heel and left her bedroom. Closing the door softly behind her, Elsa made her way down the hall and towards the typical training room that her father was expecting her to be in. On her way towards the room, she spotted a few of the maids up during the early hour, especially one that had taken care of her growing up.

“Hi, Miss Gerda.” Elsa smiled, waving at the elderly woman who took a glance at the Protector.

“Good morning, Lady Elsa. I am assuming that you are going to training?”

“Yes, ma’am. I should head there soon. I wanted to also let you know that Anna is sleeping in my room. I know how you worry when you knock on her bedroom door just to find out that she isn’t there.” Elsa chuckled. The elderly woman rolled her eyes at the Protector.

“Dear, I would have checked your room if she wasn’t in her own.” Gerda said with a raised eyebrow. Elsa gave the maid a shy smile, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Well, I should get going. Have a great day, Miss Gerda.” And with that, Elsa continued to stroll down the hall. Eventually, she reached a familiar wooden door that had a sword and shield crest. Pushing the door open, Elsa peered inside to see her father talking to another man who had grey eyes and dark, brown hair. The man seemed to be around his late twenties and had a frame that leaned more on the slimmer side. He wore his infamous black pants and white, button up shirt that he was known to wear as the Spymaster of Arendelle.

“Good morning, Elsa. This is the Spymaster of Arendelle, Kallum. Kallum, this is my daughter, Elsa.” Her father’s blue eyes shined brightly in proudness when introducing his eldest child. Elsa stepped into the room and walked towards the pair where she reached her hand out for the man to shake.

Kallum studied the girl with his grey eyes. Elsa stood with a stoic face; her icy blue eyes unfazed on how Kallum was eyeing her in a way where he was trying to discover every single secret that she held.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Elsa.” Kallum reached forward to shake the girl’s hand. “I have heard great things about you from your father and other guards.” The Spymaster said pointedly.

Once the shake was done, Elsa withdrew her hand and turned to her father. “Father, shall we begin training?” Elsa’s blue eyes hardened, and her father laughed buoyantly at his daughter’s façade. _Right now is training. There’s no time for thinking about other things._

“Of course, my daughter. We will start soon, but I will not be leading your training for today; Kallum will be training you for this session and every other day starting from now. You understand that I also have to train Kristoff, and your younger brother needs much more improvement. You have exceeded him far more when you were at his age. I think I have taught you everything you need to know, and so, Kallum is here to teach you much more.” The man said, placing his hand on his daughter’s shoulder.

“I understand, father.” Elsa bowed her head before turning to the grey-eyed man. “Sir Kallum, I am ready and open to learn whatever you may need to teach me. Please be as harsh and impose as much criticism as you can think of.” Elsa told the man.

Kallum continued to stare at Elsa with his grey eyes. Meanwhile, Elsa stood there with a blank stare as well. Elsa’s father only chuckled before making his way towards the corner of the room where a couple of chairs resided. He sat down on one and looked back at the center of the room to see his daughter and the Spymaster still in their stare off.

“Very well, Elsa. Your trainings with me moving forward from now will focus on what an agent or Spymaster would do. Even though you may not become an agent or a Spymaster, it is good to be able to have these skills, especially if you are Princess Anna’s sole Protector.” The man said calmly. For a second, the man disappeared and reappeared immediately behind Elsa, wooden dagger in hand as he shot forward with a jab.

Elsa reacted by instantly dodging and sliding forward to retrieve a wooden sword that was leaning on the wall farthest from Spymaster Kallum. The man on the opposite side of the room chuckled.

“Your speed is very impressive.” In a blink of an eye, the man disappeared again before reappearing in front of Elsa with a dagger lunging at her throat, to which she deflected once more and promptly brought her wooden sword down to deflect a quick jab of a dagger to her gut.

The grey eyed man withdrew his daggers and stood in front of the blonde. His eyes, still blank, stared into the blue ones of Elsa’s.

“Splendid reaction time as well. To think I had lower expectations of you.” The man said, stepping back and watching as Elsa continued her hostile stance, sword in place and body tense.

“I’m going to make your speed faster and your reactions quicker. You may not be able to have an astounding speed as I do, considering my family is known for it, but you will be close. If your father complies and the royalty do allow it, maybe you could become my successor as a Spymaster instead. I’m sure that your younger brother can take over your father’s place.” The grey eyed man said candidly. Elsa’s hand tightened around the hilt of her sword, and for once, the grey-eyed man’s face emitted a certain emotion. His grey eyes narrowed on Elsa’s tense hands.

“You don’t want that, do you? Why is that? I’ve heard many rumors, but could it possibly be because of the Princess?” With no reply, the Spymaster released a dry laugh. Elsa stood in her spot, staring the man down with hardened eyes.

“First lesson when it comes to being a Spymaster, or even just having a strong will, is to never –“the Spymaster immediately starting throwing wooden daggers and tiny, pointed wooden triangles at Elsa. The blonde immediately deflected each and every attack as fast as she could. It seemed that the Spymaster had thrown about forty of those tiny triangles, but two were able to pierce Elsa’s arm and thigh. The Spymaster disappeared and reappeared in front of Elsa, lunging a dagger to her gut which she barely deflected. The brunette man stepped back; his face now decorated with a smirk.

“- let your feelings or emotions get in the way. That, my dear, is how those two items pierced you.” The Spymaster pointed towards the wound on Elsa’s shoulder and thigh, which were now only slightly bleeding.

“Even though the objects are tiny and made out of wood, with enough force and speed, the bluntest items can cause wounds far more severe than what you have right now.”

“We will continue today’s training with defense. You may have the strongest offense in the entire world, but if you have a weak defense, then what is the point of your offense that you will never be able to use if you get cut down instantly?” Kallum said. Elsa nodded her head, having her sword up and ready to deflect any attack. Kallum grabbed the blade of the wooden sword and shook his head.

“You will not always have weapons with you, such as swords, when it comes to combat; therefore, you will be trying to defend without any weapon. You will need to use speed and reaction.” Elsa nodded her head in compliance as she released the hilt of the wooden sword. The Spymaster nodded his head, tossing the sword to the side before immediately appearing on the opposite side of the room.

“The goal for this exercise is to reach the opposite side of the room, where I am, by limiting the amount of damage you take. Your limitations are from the door of the room to the two steps, or ledge, that splits the upper and lower level. If you step over this ledge, you’re instantly out. The maximum amount of hits you can take is five. Any questions?” Kallum’s grey eyes focused onto Elsa’s own blue ones. Elsa looked down at the ground, seeing the scattered, wooden pieces before looking back up.

“Don’t you want to pick up the actual things you’ll be throwing at me?” Elsa was confused. _Did he have more of those wooden pieces on him? Where would he hide it to begin with? I wasn’t able to see where he stored those weapons during his assault._

Kallum shook his head. “I still have plenty more. We will leave those pieces on the ground, and on occasions, I will pick up a few more, but it will still stay on the ground.”

Elsa nodded her head, preparing to receive any attacks as the grey-eyed Spymaster commenced to rapidly throw the wooden pieces. Elsa dodged a few and started to make her way towards the man. Although, before she could continue two steps further, about five of those wooden pieces pierced into her body.

The man shook his head. “Restart to your old position and try again.”

Elsa walked back to her position before quickly trying over and over again. Each time she took a few steps forward, she was instantaneously caught off guard and shot by five pieces of wood. A couple of hours had passed, and Elsa started racking her brain for ways to figure the Spymaster out. It was mid-autumn, and so, the sun was peeking through the horizon.

“Do you want a break, kid?” the Spymaster was picking up a few of the wooden pieces from the floor. Elsa let out an exhausted breath, a few of the wounds incurred from the exercise had morphed into dried blood.

“No. I will figure this out first before we take a break. I will _earn_ this break.” Elsa growled, standing at her position.

_Okay, so each time I take a step, it seems that he takes advantage by predicting my movements. The wooden pieces are everywhere on his body, from his pockets to his vests. Every time I take a different direction in step, he follows along. It has to be my body language._

“Ready?” Kallum eyed the Protector. The girl nodded her head, and the Spymaster began throwing the pieces of wood at Elsa.

Elsa dodged the pieces initially. She attempted to take a step, only for the Spymaster to block her direction by throwing more pieces. She barely retracted her steps from being punctured by them. Elsa’s blue eyes narrowed onto the Spymaster’s hands, and how swiftly it worked in retrieving and throwing the wooden pieces.

_I have to bait out the quicker movements. He only has two hands, after all. I need data first._

With that, Elsa intentionally stepped forward to the right and studied the Spymaster’s handwork. She quickly retracted and watched how the Spymaster recovered. Although, there seemed to have been a small window of him trying to regain his hand movements.

Elsa first took a step again to the right, watching the agile movements before she spun to dodge them. She quickly slid forward to the left to shorten the gap between herself and the Spymaster while he was recovering from his assault. Although, before she could react, she was hit by five, consecutive pieces.

The Spymaster simply nodded his head in approval at Elsa’s actions.

“Good that you’re studying your opponent’s offense. Although, it was expected for you to slide forward towards the left when you had spun. Don’t make yourself so predictable.” The grey-eyed man criticized. Elsa released a breath, nodding her head in understanding. The Spymaster opened his mouth, but before words can be released, a couple of knocks were heard at the door.

“I’ll get it. I should get going anyways.” Elsa’s father spoke up in the corner. The man stood up and walked towards the door, opening it to unveil Princess Anna. The young girl, adorning her classic twin braids, peered into the room. Barely through her father’s figure, Elsa could see how the girl was wearing a maroon, summer dress.

“Hi, Sir Brandon. It’s breakfast time right now, and I was wondering if Elsa could take a break from her training?” The Princess’s voice rang through the room. The Spymaster only chuckled, shaking his head while Brandon’s response rang through the room.

“Oh, I am not training her today; you should be asking the Spymaster. Have a good morning, Princess Anna.” Elsa’s father curtsied. He stepped to the side, allowing Anna to enter into the room first before he slipped out of the training room.

“Sir Kallum.” The Princess greeted, her eyes only on the Spymaster. The man bowed his head.

“Princess Anna, good morning.”

“Would it be alright with you if Elsa could take a break from training?” the girl inquired, her eyes still not straying away from the Spymaster. The man only nodded his head.

“Of course, Your Highness. Kid,” the man averted his gaze from the Princess and turned to the Protector. Anna’s teal eyes followed the Spymaster’s vision, and her jaw dropped when her eyes landed on Elsa. Through her light blue long sleeve were tiny, dried splotches of blood. Anna also noted a few cuts on the Protector’s porcelain, perfect cheeks while her blue eyes gazed down onto the ground. “Please be back here in 45 minutes. Enjoy some breakfast before we continue training.” And with that, the man strode his way towards the door, giving the Princess a final bow before leaving the room.

Once the Spymaster had walked into the hallway, Elsa felt warm hands immediately reach her cheeks. She looked up to see Anna’s teal eyes closely inspecting her wounds, from the ones on her shoulders to the scratches on her cheek. She felt the girl’s thumb caress the cut on her cheek, but Elsa didn’t flinch at the touch.

“Did he do this? I’ll fucking kill him if he did.” Anna growled; her teal eyes that were once filled with concern morphed into pure anger. Elsa placed her hands over Anna’s ones on her face, withdrawing them and shaking her head.

“No, don’t. It’s okay. It was just part of the training, that’s all. It doesn’t hurt, don’t worry.” Elsa started rubbing soothing circles on the back of Anna’s hand. The Princess closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in before releasing the breath.

Elsa continued rubbing soothing circles in hopes of calming the Princess. The young girl opened her eyes, the fire that once occupied those teal irises calmed down and reverted back to its original shade.

“Okay. You shouldn’t get hurt when it comes to training.” The girl’s voice slightly rose. Elsa continued rubbing the pads of her thumb against Anna’s hand.

“Then how will I get stronger to protect you?” Her voice was laced with warmth. Anna sighed again, shaking her head as she intertwined their hands together.

“I just don’t like seeing you hurt.” Her teal eyes glanced down at Elsa’s hands to see that there were also a couple of cuts from her training. The Princess lifted those hands up and placed a light kiss on each of the cuts, causing Elsa’s blue eyes to slightly widen and her breath to hitch. She felt her stomach stir once more.

 _“First lesson when it comes to being a Spymaster, or even just having a strong will, is to never_ _let your feelings or emotions get in the way_.”

Elsa shook her head at the thought. _No, he’s wrong. Even then, I’m not training right now so my emotions will not get in the way of anything._

“Shall we head to the dining room?” Elsa heard the Anna’s voice. Shaking her head out of her thoughts again, Elsa’s blue eyes focused on the concern girl in front of her.

“Yes, let’s get going.” Elsa gave the girl a reassuring smile. The Princess gave Elsa’s hand a squeeze before the two set off towards the dining room.

* * *

Anna crossed her arms, glaring daggers from the corner at the Spymaster while the Spymaster eyed the Princess sitting in the chair.

“I didn’t think the Princess would want to stay and watch.” The Spymaster’s grey eyes turned towards the Protector.

“It wasn’t my decision to have her stay. She demands to watch the rest of the training.” Elsa grumbled, aware of how protective the Princess can get. _I had to force her to promise not to interfere throughout the training, but it doesn’t mean that there’ll be an earful once training is done._

“I know. She threatened my life if you continued to get hurt.” Kallum said amusedly. Elsa sighed, running a hand through her blonde braid.

“I hope this doesn’t stop you from holding back, Sir Kallum. I can deal with the Princess, but please, don’t let her words restrict your vigor and training.”

“Oh, it won’t, and I wasn’t planning on it anyways. Get to your position kid, and we’ll start once you raise your hand.” Kallum said. With a nod of her head, Elsa walked to the other side of the room. Turning around, she raised her hand and watched as Kallum started to throw the tiny, wooden pieces at the girl.

Elsa dodged each one effortlessly. She continued to study the hand movements of the Spymaster and moved accordingly. She would purposely make certain steps to see how his offense would react. Elsa performed the move again prior to break, but instead of sliding the opposite direction of the predicted pieces, she quickly moved forward and slid to the right. _At least I’ve closed the gap without taking much damage._

The session continued on as Elsa dodged each piece with elegant strides. _How many of those pieces can he even hold on him? I have to try keep moving forward, but he knows the first move now._

Elsa’s eyes narrowed when she saw Kallum pull out two daggers unexpectedly and hurled them with the pieces. _Father did say to never assume the weapons your enemy may have._ Dodging the daggers effortlessly, Elsa was sharply pierced on the right side of her body with four pieces of wood, causing blood to instantly be drawn from the impact. The protector winced at the impact. A gasp was heard on the opposite side of the room, but Elsa refused to look towards the direction of where the gasp originated from.

 _“Never let your emotions or feelings get in the way.”_ Kallum’s words echoed within her thoughts. With a huff, Elsa continued to dodge the pieces until her footing slipped. _Damnit, I forgot about being aware of the pieces on the floor._

Kallum stopped his assault and walked towards his trainee. Elsa released a sigh, looking down at her wounds that were now bleeding a bit more profusely than her other, usual wounds.

“I’ve told you this once and I’m not going to say it again, kid. Even though the objects are tiny and made out of wood, with enough force and speed, the bluntest and smallest items can cause severe wounds. You should look at how much force and speed are in the objects thrown at you. Taking the wooden daggers would have done significantly less damage to you than those tiny pieces. Sometimes, when you do have to take some hits, taking hits that cause the less damage is most ideal. This means that if it were to also be switched where there were four pieces that did less damage than two daggers, you would take those four pieces.” Kallum calmly stated. Elsa gritted her teeth and nodded her head, feeling blood continue to pour down her wounds.

The Spymaster eyed the Protector before continuing. “Your well-being should be prioritized first. The less harm you intake, the longer you’ll last in battle. Furthermore, due to the damage, I know you completely forgot about the pieces on the ground. This just further emphasizes the importance of taking less damage. You got disorientated from the attack, and as a result, some of the factors in the environment which you should have been aware of was momentarily forgotten.”

Elsa only nodded her head again, signaling Kallum how she was digesting the information he was giving her. The Spymaster looked at the wounds on the Protector.

“Would you like to cover those up?” Elsa looked into those grey-eyes, and although they were mostly blank, there seemed to be a glint of something that Elsa had spotted.

The blonde shook her head and replied, “No, let’s continue. In battle, I can’t ask for breaks to recover.” With that reply, the Spymaster gave a single nod. His grey eyes was now shining with approval and satisfaction at the answer that he was given.

“Good. Well then, get back to your position and we will start again with the raise of your hand.” The Spymaster bent down to pick up the daggers and a few pieces before making his way back to his initial spot.

Elsa mumbled an “ok.” Before heading back to her spot, her blue eyes couldn’t help but glance at the corner of the room to see those blazing, teal eyes pierce into her soul. Elsa only gave a small but discrete smile towards the Princess to notify her that it was fine. This only resulted in the redhead’s eye to narrow even more at the blonde.

The rest of the day carried on with Elsa continuously trying to avoid the attacks from Kallum. She proceeded to take into consideration of his words, trying to judge his attacks and read his movements. There was even a session where Elsa had felt that the Spymaster had thrown at least a hundred wooden pieces at her, but his supply seemed endless.

Elsa was able to close the gap between herself and Kallum at least three fourths of the way before she was hit by a piece that concluded the fifth piece. With a small huff, she turned on her heal and made her way back towards the other side of the room.

“I’m surprised that you haven’t gone close to the ledge, kid. Why?” Kallum questioned, now having the need to pick up pieces after each of every try.

“It’s like surrounding yourself in a corner. If I get close to the ledge, it would be easier for the opponent to land a strike, and I wouldn’t have the ease to dodge it considering that I have nowhere else to go.” She replied. Kallum’s grey eyes glinted of approval from Elsa’s response.

“Very good. Let’s try this one more time.” Elsa raised her hand, signaling that she was ready as Kallum started his assault. Reading Kallum’s movements, Elsa noted the conventional pattern that Kallum would make based on her own movements. Keeping that in mind, Elsa, although taking a long time, was able to close three-fourths of the gap between herself and Kallum.

Now that the gap was shorter, Elsa noted how the pieces moved at a faster speed because they traveled at a lesser distance. She continued to study Kallum’s movements at this short distance, barely dodging some of the pieces in the process. Elsa took a couple of steps forward, cutting the gap so that it seemed like she was about two arms lengths away from Kallum.

The Spymaster quickened his movements even more, and Elsa barely was able to keep up. She quickly assessed his patterns and intentionally made herself be hit with three pieces instead of two, analyzing how the three pieces would have done significantly less damage than the other two.

_I can lunge forward, but there’s no way that he would just stand still for me to get within his reach. He’ll probably see that, dodge it quickly and use his wooden daggers to jab me in the back as I fall._

Elsa noted how it took a bit longer for the Spymaster to withdraw the pieces from the multitudinous pockets that held them. _He has to be running out of pieces, but it could also just be a façade._

Suddenly, in the midst of dodging a few pieces, she felt a wooden dagger jab at her side and another at her gut. The attack was very light, but Elsa noted how the Spymaster had seemed to move from his position to launch the final, two attacks on her in the midst of her dodging the pieces.

Stepping away from the blonde, the Spymaster’s eyes glowed with approval.

“Contemplate about why I decided to lunge at you to make your count to five instead of continuing to throw more pieces at you. I think you can figure it out before the end of tonight. Your training is done for today. As your father mentioned, I will be training you every other day while your father trains Kristoff. I will see you in two days, kid.” Kallum said, bowing his head at the young girl before making his way towards the door. He opened it, casting a look to the left at the Princess.

“Have a good afternoon, your Royal Highness.” Kallum walked through the door, closing it behind him. The moment the door closed, Elsa heard rapid footsteps coming towards her way. Her body was immediately pulled into a familiar and comforting embrace. Elsa closed her eyes, wrapping her own arms around the tiny body, feeling tremors under her touch.

Elsa didn’t look, but instead, she rubbed circles on the girl’s back while the redhead continued to tremble.

“I’m okay, I’m okay.” Elsa kept whispering soothing words into the Princess’s ear. The two eventually fell to the ground, Elsa’s knees giving in from exhaustion while Anna’s gave in through her overwhelming feelings. Elsa sat up, continuously consoling the girl with affirmations of her well-being while Anna stayed embraced in Elsa’s arms. Elsa could feel a wet patch start to form on the front of her shirt and muffled sounds against her chest.

Elsa recalled the last time, and coincidentally, the first time, that Anna had cried because of her safety. It was two years ago on Anna’s thirteenth birthday. The two were walking through the town together when a party of bandits had made a move onto the Princess. Elsa was able to disarm and defeat the bandits effortlessly, but it did result in a few minor cuts. The Princess cried in her arms while the royal guards arrived a couple of hours later to arrest the bandits. Anna did not allow Elsa to sleep alone for about a month because of that incident, always caring for her wounds each time Elsa had came back from training with her father.

Elsa wasn’t sure how long they were staying in that position, but she knew that lunch with the King and Queen must have passed. Eventually, the sobs had subdued, and the trembling had come to a slow halt. Still being in each other’s arms, Anna slightly pulled away to look up at Elsa. The blonde felt her stomach drop when she noticed those swollen, teal eyes.

“I don’t like you getting hurt.” Soft, fragile, and border lining the point of shattered. Anna’s eyes focused on the, now blood-dried, wounds. The younger girl’s eyes start to water once more, and Elsa immediately grabbed her face with both of her hands, forcing her eyes to meet her own. Stroking both of her cheeks with the pads of her thumb, Elsa placed a doting kiss on Anna’s forehead.

“I don’t like seeing you sad.” Anna released a wry laugh in response.

“Then don’t get hurt, stupid.” Elsa let out a light-hearted chuckle at the girl’s response. Anna only furrowed her eyebrows further in response, a pout perched upon her pink lips.

“You know that’s the one thing I can’t promise you.” Anna’s eyes narrowed at the girl. She removed her arms around the blonde, crossing them in front of her chest with her infamous pout still stagnantly resilient.

“I’ve told you many times before, but you don’t have to be my Protector.”

Elsa scoffed in response. “And what? Let Kristoff be your Protector, no way.” The redhead only rolled her eyes.

“No, he doesn’t have to be my Protector. I can just ask father if I can have another Royal Guard as my sole protector instead.” Now it was the Protector’s turn to roll her own eyes.

“I’ve been training to be your Protector for the past fifteen years. My father has reached a point in my training where he deems that he can’t teach me anything else; therefore, the Spymaster is training me.”

“Why won’t you just accept not being my Protector? I don’t care what your status is, but I won’t abandon you even if you aren’t my Protector.” Anna argued, the volume in her voice picking up a notch. Elsa groaned in frustration, releasing one hand that was embracing Anna to run through her own, blonde braid. _Why did this girl not understand? Why is she so stubborn?_

“Because I don’t trust anyone else in protecting you.” Elsa’s own voice was sharp. Anna’s eyes changed significantly, the once, bright teal was now as dark as the depths of the ocean. Elsa, although smitten to the Princess, could not let herself lose _this_ argument.

“Kallum offered me a proposal: He said that he would be training me how any Spymaster would train their successor. He _wants_ me to become his successor. I can become a Spymaster instead of your Protector, but from today’s training, you can see the endangerment either way.” The Protector’s voice didn’t waver, but it didn’t escalate into the volume that could be considered as yelling. The dark, turquoise irises narrowed at the blonde, but she didn’t flinch at all.

Anna hissed lowly, “Are you _stupid?_ Do you not understand that I _don’t_ want you to get hurt at _all._ Elsa fucking Winters, you don’t have to take any of these dangerous roles!” This ticked the blonde immensely, as if there was a dusty switch within her that just turned on. She wasn’t sure if it was the fact that the Princess was trying to deem what was best for her, or if she was dictating her life, but Elsa felt something snap within her.

“Then who else will? Who else is going to protect you when no one is around? When all the other guards are dallying around doing gods know what? Are you telling me that Kristoff will be your Protector? Because I’m going to be honest here, he is NOT capable of protecting you whatsoever. I don’t trust him, regardless that he is my brother. I don’t trust anyone protecting you at all.” Elsa snarled. The Princess opened her mouth, ready to rebuttal, but the Protector was not done with what she needed to say.

“Who else is going to succeed the Spymaster if something were to ever happen to him? If there are other agents that could, then why would he ever bring up the notion of me succeeding him? And if I don’t become Spymaster, which I don’t plan on doing, then your life will be in even more danger considering that the Spymaster indirectly protects the Kingdom. I might as well use my skill and experience to be your Protector. You are the most valuable and precious person in my entire life, and I can’t stand having and seeing someone else fail to guard your life just because I couldn’t be there for you.” Elsa’s chest puffed and caved quickly, her breathing being the only thing that was present in the room.

Her vision started to slightly blur. Anna’s teal eyes immediately widened, the dark hue now reverting back to its original color. The young girl pushed herself against the blonde, wrapping her arms around the girl who had snapped just a second ago.

Elsa’s vision was still blurred while she felt the first presence of wetness. Wrapping her own arms around the Princess, the blonde buried her face into the redhead’s shoulder.

Her once, strong voice now quivered as she spoke, “I can never forgive myself if something bad ever happened to you.” Meanwhile, the younger girl sat, profusely whispering apology after apology in the elder’s ear. Elsa wasn’t planning on breaking down, she wasn’t planning on crying at all; Elsa _never_ cries. _Yet, here I am. A pathetic, weak and sobbing mess who allowed her feelings and emotions to get the better of her._

Never once had the Protector shed a tear. She was built and taught to tolerate pain. She never cried out of frustration or anger or the occasional undermining words that she would receive. She never cried when she had broken a bone in her body or when her mother’s clear favorite was her younger brother. She was trained to become an unmovable force, not a single fear or weakness ingrained within her. Elsa had never felt so vulnerable.

Yet, a single fight with her childhood friend regarding the girl’s safety was all it took. Her concern for the young girl was all it took.

Eventually, Elsa’s erratic breathing had calmed back to normal. To lighten the mood, Elsa gave a small chuckle. “Your mother is going to kill me when she finds out why we weren’t there during lunch.”

Anna gave a light giggle in response, pulling away from the girl to look into her deep, blue eyes. Elsa only offered a smile before standing on her two feet and extending a hand for the Princess. The latter accepted the hand, feeling her body being pulled up and refusing to let go of the Protector’s hand. Instead, she intertwined their hands together before pulling them out of the room.

“Let’s take care of those wounds and walk around town to grab a bite to eat, okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And in walked my favorite character. Still mostly in the character development phase because let's be honest here, Elsa isn't going to magically become super skilled (even though it kinda sorta may seem like it already).  
> Thanks for reading :)


	5. Something has to change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This a little bit of a shorty, but the information will be relevant in the future! Enjoy :) And see you for another update a couple of days from now.

After a scolding from Queen Iduna, the Princess and her Protector took a leisure stroll through the town, seeking food stands that would pique any of their interest. Anna clung onto her Protector’s right arm as they walked through the town. Meanwhile, the townspeople were unfazed by the Princess’s clinginess to the Protector, witnessing the two girl’s behavior with one another ever since they were kids.

As the couple strolled through the town, they grabbed some of Arendelle’s street food before making their way towards the town square. The couple sat at a bench to the side that faced the center of the town square that adorned the grand fountain at the center.

Anna would stay in close proximity to Elsa, her body weight leaning against the girl with their thighs touching one another. The two would gaze at the center, simply people watching while eating their late lunch. Elsa, and also Anna, considering that the Princess also wanted to eat some of the Protector’s food, had already finished Elsa’s dish, leaving the girl’s hands empty. On occasions, Anna would turn to feed the Protector some of her food, pointing out certain interactions she noticed between one person and another.

Of course, because Anna was the royal Princess, the townspeople would notice her sitting on the bench and swing by to greet her. The attention didn’t bother Anna at all, but she wasn’t the type to be easily swooned over by people’s words or charismatic nature. _Maybe that’s why it seems that no one has captured the Princess’s interest._

An elderly couple came by to greet and talk to the Princess. Anna, being naturally amiable and kind-hearted, greeted the elderly couple and maintained her conversation with them. Elsa would idly sit by, nodding her head in acknowledgement at the elderly couple that would always greet the Princess when they were out, before shifting her blue eyes back to the redhead. She has always wondered why she hasn’t ever heard of anyone that piqued the younger girl’s interest. _I mean, if we’re best friends, wouldn’t friends typically talk about if they find someone appealing or attractive to the other? Is she scared that I might hurt them?_

Elsa recalls a time when they were younger, where Anna would be set up on playdates with other royal Princes and Princesses. Although, now that she thought about it, Anna seemed a bit reserved and detached when it came to interact with other Princes. _Especially that one visit with the entire family of the Southern Isles Kingdom. Anna avoided them like the plague, especially that Hans guy who was annoyingly patient for the Princess. Although, it wasn’t like they were bad… they were all nice and charismatic kids._

The Protector’s eyes drank in the Princess’s features for once. She noticed how, the once, eccentric, sanguine yet shy child had grown to a nurturing and caring woman. Elsa noted how the Princess had started to grow out of her baby cheeks and cultivate features that one would receive as they transitioned from being a child to be an adult. The adorable, young girl blossomed to become this beautiful, breathtaking human being. _Yet, she’s still only fifteen years old._ Elsa’s body slightly stiffened at the thought of Anna’s age. _Her parents are going to want suitors to be lined up for her so that she could xbe courted eventually. After all, she is heir to the throne._

The thought didn’t sit well in the pit of her stomach. She dreaded the idea of having to be there, watching as vile and unworthy suitors lined up in an attempt to court the Princess and inevitably take her innocence away. Elsa’s fist unintentionally clenched on her lap and her jaw tensed at the thought.

Although, in an instant, she felt a soft hand brush over her fist, gentle, dainty fingers working its way into the fist to have the Protector’s hand unclench and soften. Snapping out of her daze, Elsa’s blue eyes focused on how Anna smiled at the elderly couple, bidding them a good evening. The elderly couple walked away while Anna’s other hand now placed itself gingerly against the blonde’s jaw. Immediately, the Protector’s jaw loosened, and she leaned into the palliative touch.

“What’s wrong?” the angelic voice echoed within the air. Anna’s eyes gazed concerningly at the elder. Elsa stayed mute, closing her blue eyes and placing her other free hand over the hand that was cradling her cheek.

The redhead continued to rub soothing circles on the back of Elsa’s palm. “What’s going through that clever head of yours?” Elsa released a content hum, having the urge to show the Princess some sign of affection. What was she going to say? _Sorry, I just thought about the fact that one day, I’m going to have to let you go and my overwhelming feelings for you clouded my mind. I got jealous of your potential suitors and wanted to tear each and every one of them apart?_

“Just thinking about Kallum’s future training, that’s all.” Elsa replied. The Princess only sighed in response, causing the Protector to open her eyes and gaze back into those teal orbs.

“Can I be honest with you?” Elsa nodded her head.

Anna’s eyes meekly shifted away from the Protector. “I felt uncomfortable when you trained with Sir Kallum today.”

Elsa’s head cocked to the side. “Why is that?”

Anna released a small breath. “His trainings seem… dangerous? I’ve heard around the castle that no one really gets trained under Sir Kallum. Agents only survive two hours with him before they get severely injured, just like how you did today.”

“I’m bound to get hurt when the real thing happens.” Elsa rebuttal.

Anna gave out a frustrated sigh, throwing her hands up in the air. “See, but that’s the thing! Your trainings _aren’t_ the real thing. I get it, they’re supposed to help you prepare for when something actually happens, but don’t you think it’s ridiculous how you incurred greater wounds in your training than you did with those bandits on my thirteenth birthday?”

“But Anna, it’s fine. I am fine.” Elsa said gingerly, reaching over to place a hand on the Princess’s arm.

“No, you don’t get it. You’re fine now, but what if one day, the training gets too much? What if one day, something worse happens to you all because he trained you?”

“It won’t.” Elsa said firmly. Anna only groaned in response.

“You don’t know that! What if I lose you because he doesn’t know a limit when it comes to his training?”

“You won’t lose me.” Elsa’s tone was unwavering.

Anna scoffed. “And how would you know that? You can’t see the future!”

“Because I intend to keep my promise.” Anna stayed silent while Elsa started rubbing soothing circles on the girl’s arm. “Remember that promise during that meteor shower? When you were five? You’re stuck with me, Princess.”

The redhead opened her mouth, about to say something until the sound of a child addressing the Princess was heard in the distance.

Their eyes immediately turned to see three children making their way towards the Princess. Elsa withdrew her hand from Anna’s arm, already missing the feeling of her smooth skin under her touch. Two girls that were twins with brown hair and eyes slammed their body against the Princess’s legs. Anna immediately released her hands from Elsa and wrapped both of them around the two girls. A boy was trailing behind the twins, having the same brown hair and brown eyes as the two girls. The boy only addressed the Princess and greeted Elsa with a smile. The twins were around five years old while the boy seemed three years their senior.

“Hi Princess Anna!” one of the girls piped up. Anna’s features were immediately masked from concern to affection as she hugged both girls that clung onto her legs.

“Hello! How was your day today?” the twins climbed onto the Princess’s lap and started to animatedly take turns on sharing how their day went. Meanwhile, the older brother stayed on the sidelines, keeping an eye on his sisters while glancing back at the busy crowd of the town square.

Elsa kept her gaze on the Princess and the two little girls. While the twins were talking, adrenalized about their day, Anna would nod her head with a smile. When there were tiny gaps of silent opportunities, the Princess would continue to ask more questions that caused the twins to continue on and on. Anna would hold on to the two girls in a secure way, stroking their hair while they continued to ramble on about their day. The Princess’s features were soft, warm and inviting, as if she was the epitome of being a benevolent role model to everyone around her.

Princess Anna was always known to be the more social and responsive person growing up. Everyone around town, both young and old, both extroverted and introverted, adored the Princess as she walked through town with rather her father, mother, Sir Brandon, Kristoff and/or Elsa. Meanwhile, Elsa knew her reputation when it came to the townspeople. She was the stoic, cold, trained Protector who had successfully saved the Princess from a party of bandits two years ago. Before the incident, her father would always boast about his eldest child to the guards and other visiting guards or mercenaries. She was going to be bred to become the most dangerous and successful Protector, and her progress, even as a young child, was astounding.

Although, with a Protector and Captain of the Royal Guard as Elsa’s father, no one dared to threaten Arendelle. Before her father had married, he was known as Brandon the Bodacious. He was capable of overpowering any foe, regardless of the circumstances. The last time Arendelle was under attack was at King Agnarr’s coronation celebration, but from the details Elsa had received from her and Anna’s studies, as well as other guards, her father was capable of protecting the entire royal family while simultaneously commanding the guards and cutting down each foe that he walked past.

Brandon was brave and confident when it came to each and every move he made. As Elsa has learned from her father, a moment of hesitation can quickly change the course of everything. People feared facing her father during their youthful years, and with the addition of the perspicacious Spymaster, Kallum, Arendelle became a strong and unstoppable nation. _Maybe there’s another reason why father wants me to work with the Spymaster. If Kristoff gets his act together and improves, he can be barely sufficient enough to be Anna’s future Protector while I take on the role of Arendelle’s Spymaster._

Elsa’s blue eyes focused back on the Princess in front of her. Anna was smiling down at the girls’ constant rambling, occasionally pipping in some words of attention to them.

 _“Never let your feelings or emotions get in the way.”_ Those words echoed in Elsa’s mind.

_“Papa, why am I Anna’s Protector and not Kristoff?” an eight year old Elsa asked her father. The man placed his wooden sword down, a small smile perched upon his lips._

_“Because, my dearest Elsa, you have the potential to become an unstoppable force. We only want the best to protect the Princess, and your brother has not reached that potential.”_

_“Why is that, Papa?”_

_“Your brother may be infatuated by the Princess. I don’t blame him, considering that the entire Kingdom is in love with that ball of sunshine. Although, I trust that you would put your duty first. Our bloodline as Protectors to the Arendelle family will always stay separated from the Arendelle family. Sometimes, feelings, such as love, can blind you to make mistakes.”_

_“But don’t you love King Agnarr and Queen Iduna?”_

_“King Agnarr is my best friend, but I’m talking about feelings similar to how I feel for your mother.”_

“You’re spacing out again.” Elsa’s mind snapped back into reality when she felt a soft hand hold her cheek. The twins were still on Anna’s lap, their brown eyes examining the Protector with interest.

“Miss Elsa, are you okay?” one of the girls asked. The blonde gave the young girl a soft smile, nodding her head.

“I’m fine, thank you.” The girl nodded her head before the other twin started tugging on Anna’s sleeve for her attention. The Princess withdrew her hand from the Protector’s cheek to only have it land to her side, intertwining their fingers together on the bench. Anna’s eyes focused on the girl who started to ramble on and on, periodically letting out a small giggle at something that the girl had said.

While Elsa was admiring the Princess, she knew that one thing was for certain—she would have to protect Anna at all cost. She knew that she had to do what was right, and if becoming a Spymaster would decrease the chances of the Princess’s life being endangered, then she may have to consider just that.

Elsa was snapped out of her trance again when the girl that had asked about her well-being had climbed onto her lap. The child looked up at the Protector with her big, doe brown eyes.

“Hello.” Elsa greeted the child with widened eyes. Due to her reputation, Elsa wasn’t really the type to be as social compared to the Princess. The child smiled and pointed at the town square.

“Let’s play I spy!” the child exclaimed. Elsa was at a loss for words at the child’s enthusiasm to interact with her. The Protector only nodded her head, and the child immediately squealed, turned around and leaned back against Elsa’s chest. The blonde hesitantly wrapped her free hand around the child as their game began.

“I will go first!” the little girl exclaimed. “I spy with my little eye… something purple!”

The Protector’s eyes swept across the landscape for anything purple. Well, a lot of things were purple considering that it was one of Arendelle’s colors.

Elsa released a hum in contemplation. “Is it Miss Lock’s dress?” The child shook her head in response. “Is it the ice cream man’s sign?” the child shook her head again. “Is it the Arendelle sign?” The child didn’t shake her head, but only released a giggle.

“Which sign?” The child’s voice leaked with deviousness, earning a small chuckle from the Protector as she started to point and ask about each of banners in the town square. The child nodded her head once Elsa had pointed out the correct sign and exclaimed, “Your turn!”

“I spy with my little eye…something red.” Elsa declared. The child started looking around the town square for any items that were red. Meanwhile, Elsa’s eyes drifted back to the Princess, to which she had noted was staring right back at her in awe and veneration. When the Princess knew that her stare was caught, instead of looking away, she only gave the Protector a small, bashful smile before averting her attention back to the child on her lap.

Elsa altered her attention back to the child with the thought of the Princess’s look in her mind. Eventually, the parents of the children had stopped by to take them home. The two sat there, observing the joy that filled the air as the townspeople interacted with one another. Anna leaned her head on the Protector’s shoulder, watching as bouts of laughter filled the air when one citizen greeted another.

“I really love the people of Arendelle.” Anna sighed dreamily. Elsa leaned her head against the Princess’s, watching a child exuberantly giggle with their older sibling.

“That will make you a great Queen.” Elsa noted.

“Will it? I feel like as a sovereign, loving your people and protecting them should be second nature.”

“Not all kingdoms are like that. Some sovereigns treat their people harshly, while others think of them as mere gears without feelings. I’ve heard about how some kingdoms perspire greed to the point where they would go to any lengths for their own personal benefit, including physically hurting strangers and their people.”

“I’ve read about that in some of my studies.” The redhead released a slight shiver. “I can never condone to that. Elsa, even if you’re my Protector, will you promise me to also protect the people when you are given the opportunity to?”

“Of course, Anna. I promise I will always protect and help the innocent, just like the people in our book.” Anna raised her pinky in the air. Elsa followed with her own pinky, wrapping it around the Princess’s to secure another promise in the bag.

“If you had to pick between saving me and others, if I tell you to save them, then please do so.” Elsa’s eyes widened at the girl’s statement. Lifting her head away from the redhead’s, the blonde turned to look down at the younger girl. Anna’s eyes were still fixated at the people that currently occupied the town square.

“Anna… I can’t promise you that I will choose anyone else over you.”

The girl only released a slight chuckle, expecting those words to spill out of the blonde’s mouth. “I know, but please consider that.”

Elsa only sighed, running a hand through her braid. The Protector decided to only keep what the Princess had said in mind. _At least she’s not making me promise to._

Once the sun started setting, the Princess stood up and guided the couple back to the castle. It was silent throughout their walk back, but Elsa knew that the Princess had thousands of questions running through her head related to events prior to their conversation. Once they had reached the entrance of the castle, Anna spoke up.

“Come up to our study with me?” Anna’s teal eyes drilled deeply into Elsa’s soul. Before Elsa could reply, King Agnarr’s voice presented itself in the air.

“Anna! I’m glad I caught you. Your mother and I need to discuss something with you over dinner, and we should really start on those documents with the other kingdoms.” Both girls turned as the King strode his way over to them.

“Elsa, good evening to you as well. I hope you don’t mind if I take my daughter off your hands for the remainder of the night?” the King inquired. Elsa glanced at Anna, who only looked at the ground with eyes shining of slight disappointment and frustration.

“No, that’s not a problem at all, Your Majesty. I can occupy myself for the rest of the night.”

Anna released a sigh.

“Thank you, Elsa. Of course, under Queen’s orders, you can join us for dinner before I have to teach this one some ropes on running Arendelle.” The King ruffled the top of Anna’s head, causing the young girl to groan.

Elsa shook her head. “It’s okay, sir. I’m not really that hungry, and I’m sure it’s none of my business what you and the Queen must also discuss with Anna.”

The King gave the Protector an appreciative smile. Elsa returned it before tugging her hand away from the Princess. Anna reluctantly let go, only to immediately pull the Protector into a hug. Elsa, stunned at first, wrapped her arms around the Princess before she heard a wispy voice in her ear.

“I’ll meet you in your room afterwards?” Elsa released her breath that she had held. The Princess pulled away slowly and released the Protector. With a brief nod, Elsa turned on her heel and walked towards the inside of the castle. With each purposeful step she took, she knew that she had one thing in mind. _Something has to change._


	6. Kallum's Proposal

Kallum continued to throw the tiny, wooden pieces at the young girl. Even though it was early dawn, Elsa’s entire body was awake when it came to training. As if it was second nature, the blonde fluidly dodged each and every piece that was thrown at her while simultaneously advancing her way towards the Spymaster. Although, one thing that the girl did differently was that she would occasionally take steps backwards instead of forwards.

Elsa’s icy, blue eyes would occasionally glance down at the ground, reflecting on all the pieces that had fallen. After her outing with Anna, the Protector immensely trained that night and the following morning with her father. Her movements improved as she had only taken one wooden piece from the Spymaster.

 _He’s about to run out of pieces, and then he will take out his wooden daggers._ She noted, watching how Kallum took a longer time that usual to withdraw the pieces. In a blink of an eye, Elsa dove to the ground and slid so that her foot came into contact with the Spymaster’s ankles.

Kallum, with his wooden daggers already out and forward in his stance, nodded his head approvingly. “Good, you’ve reflected back to our first day and have definitely improved.” The Protector withdrew her leg from the Spymaster’s ankle and stood up. The man walked over towards the chair that had his black coat draped across it. He picked it up, wrapped it around his shoulders before opening the door of the training room.

“We’re going to head out to continue your training. I have told one of the maids to inform the Princess that you and I will not be in the castle until your training is over. Follow me and keep up.” Kallum immediately sped out of the room. Taking a deep breath, Elsa followed, running right behind the Spymaster as he led them out of the castle.

When they had exited the castle, Elsa felt the cool, crisp autumn air flood her lungs. It was a bit dry and hindered Elsa’s breathing, but nonetheless, the girl continued to keep pace with the Spymaster. The two kept running through town and into the woods on the outskirts of Arendelle. Elsa followed the Spymaster as he ran, the foliage of the trees being a canopy on the forest ground that significantly muted any light from above.

They continued running, making turns and wrapping around trees until the Spymaster stopped at a clearing. Elsa came to a stop as well, her mouth open in awe at the sight that was in front of her. The area was a small clearing with tall trees that still surrounded their current location. Although, there was a pink ribbon tied to a tree, and with the visible eye, a river beyond the tree. The sound of water pounding against something was heard nearby, signaling the notion of a waterfall. The skies were slowly transitioning into the morning, and it seemed that the only source of light was in the clearing and near the river.

Kallum turned towards the Protector, tossing her a wooden sword for her to quickly grab. The Spymaster looked up at the sky, digging his hands into his pockets.

“When out in a field, you won’t just be confined in a small space, nor will it be an open space. As mentioned, we are going to have trainings outside of the training room. This will include training within forests and towns as well. For now, we will stick with these wooden weapons and will always stick to them in town when we are training in broad daylight. When you improve, we will move to actual weapons.” Kallum’s grey eyes turned to Elsa, who only nodded her head in response, gripping the sword with two hands and holding it up high.

“Our trainings will be similar to the rules in the training room. Five hits and you’re out, but you have unlimited space. Although, you must be able to strike at me three times before you are deemed successful. Adapt to your environment and be aware of the pros and cons to them. I am confident that you will not succeed the first time, so once you receive five hits, we restart at this location. Any questions?” The Spymaster watched as the young girl’s grip tightened on the wooden sword. Kallum only chuckled, walking near the pink ribbon that was on the opposite side of Elsa.

“You’ll have ten seconds to position yourself within the forest. From there, I will begin my assault as you begin your strategy to counterattack. I will start the ten seconds once you leave the clearing.” Kallum leaned back against the tree with the pink ribbon, spinning a wooden dagger with one hand. Elsa noted that he also had a wooden sword equipped on his belt. _And probably tons of those tiny, wooden pieces. Use the environment… he’ll probably use pebbles and rocks._

Keeping all of that in mind, Elsa immediately ran into the forest. She kept going, having her feet carry her deep within the forest while the sounds of rustling leaves echoed with each step she took. _On the defensive, I should find a darker area while on the offensive, I should find a well-lit location._

She immediately felt two, wooden pieces pierce into her shoulder. Due to Elsa’s astounding improvement, the Spymaster had increased his force and vigor when training the Protector. Wincing slightly, Elsa knew that the wound was drawing a bit of blood. _Odd, it seemed like the attack came from the sky._

Elsa’s icy blue eyes quickly looked up and widened when she saw a few more wooden pieces being hurled at her. She immediately jumped back, scarcely dodging the assault as she continued to look up at the leaves of the trees. She barely noticed that there was a darker shadow jumping amongst the branches of the trees. _Of course, Kallum is the Spymaster._

Trying to keep track of the shadow, Elsa felt two more wooden fragments pierce her back. The Spymaster was going at an extraordinary, almost inhumane, speed. _It’s as if he can perfectly time his shadow with his wooden pieces. He knows I’m trying to keep track of his location; therefore, I am more vulnerable when it comes to things that attack from behind._

Elsa’s blonde braid whipped as she abruptly turned her body and used her sword to deflect three pieces that were approaching from her side. Keeping her guard up, Elsa used her ears to try figure out where the Spymaster was based on the ruffling of the leaves. _I need to get into a more advantageous environment._

Before she could react, she felt a wooden piece hit at her arm, marking the fifth strike. Elsa heard a soft thud behind her and turned to see that the Spymaster had jumped elegantly down from the high trees, dusting off anything that was on his pants. His grey eyes looked up and smirked knowingly at the Protector.

“Agents have to know how to travel stealthily, whether if it’s above the rooftops of buildings, along castle walls, within alleyways or in trees. You were spot on trying to use sound, but that needs to be improved on.” Kallum pointed at a single tree. “I’m going to climb that and start jumping through, so follow my lead.” And with that, the Spymaster started ascending the tree.

_I did not sign up for this. It’s like he’s expecting me to become Spymaster._

With a small huff, Elsa started ascending the tree. At the top, the Spymaster started pointed out branches that could be considered frail and weak and other branches that could support your own weight. He also noted that the less time you spend on a branch, the less likely that it will break under you.

“Okay, we’re just going to work on your movements through the trees. You have to be sneaky but quiet. I suggest to also move with the wind as much as possible. The wind will naturally ruffle and cause the leaves to make noise, and so your movements as you go will be muted from that sound.”

Elsa nodded her head in understanding, studying the trees branches.

“You will need to see three steps ahead of you when traveling in the air. Follow my lead, but be parallel to me so that you learn on your own. If you are to fall, the key to falling without getting hurt is to make yourself light and fall from the shortest branch. Make your terminal velocity slow, and I highly recommend wearing a cloak or cape to expand your surface area of your fall. Although, key advice is to not fall.” Kallum tauntingly stated before started to hop from branch to branch. Elsa nodded her head, following in suit, but not in par with Kallum’s speed.

As the two were jumping through the forest, Elsa noted how unbalanced she was as she hoped from tree to tree. There were times when she had felt her footing slightly slip with each jump, her body teetering at each branch.

 _How was Kallum able to swiftly and steadily land on each branch?_ Elsa continued to huff, her muscles becoming tauter at each jump. The Spymaster suddenly stopped at a branch, but Elsa didn’t stop until a few more feet ahead of Kallum finding a sturdy branch to rest on and catch her breath.

“Kid, you’re overthinking this and too worried about falling. You need to just empty your mind, relax and calm down. If it helps, think of something that calms you down, that makes you happy and keeps you at peace while you’re jumping. Of course, when in battle, don’t think about that entirely, but have a portion of your brain think about whatever it is to help you loosen up.” Kallum continued onwards. Elsa only released a frustrated breath, running a hand through her blonde braid.

 _Think of something that keeps my mind at peace…that makes me happy. What makes me happy?_ Immediately, a head of strawberry blonde hair, turquoise eyes and a heart-warming smile came into mind. Elsa took a deep breath in, closing her eyes as she imagined her usual night with the Princess: they were in Anna’s study, the girl’s eyebrows knitted together, her pink tongue slightly jutting out between her heart-shaped lips while her eyes scanned the document in front of her. _The feeling of having her in your arms._

Elsa’s body slacked immensely as her thoughts ventured to the Princess. Opening her eyes, the Protector started to jump from tree to tree, catching up in the distance that she had accrued when she was in her state of daydream. Eventually, Elsa was able to catch up and keep up with Kallum’s speed, surprising the grey-eyed Spymaster.

The two continued to work on Elsa’s agility, speed and stealth by constantly jumping from tree to tree throughout the forest. The Spymaster would also encourage the girl to occasionally pause to hit certain targets while traveling through the trees. When the sun was shining brightly in the middle of the sky, Kallum guided the Protector back to their original spot and pointed towards the river.

“Let’s fish for some food.” The grey-eyed man started to gingerly climb down the tree with Elsa following closely behind on her own tree. The two walked towards the river, suddenly being exposed to the bright sun. Elsa rapidly blinked her eyes to adjust to the light while Kallum chuckled at her reaction, kicking off his shoes, taking off his cape and bending down to roll his pants up. The waterfall wasn’t too far off from where the two were located, the sound of pounding water resonating in Elsa’s ear.

The Spymaster stepped into the river and gestured for his trainee to enter with him. Elsa bent down to also kick off her shoes and roll up her tights. She proceeded to tug the sleeves of her top up to her elbows before making her way to the Spymaster.

“You will also need to work on your eyes. With more training to your speed and vision, you will be able to catch the fish barehanded. Although, it’s best if you strike a blow to the head in order to stun it. For now, use the wooden sword to at least hit the fish so that it slows down, and I’ll quickly follow up to finish it off.”

Elsa nodded her head, looking down at the water to spot slight movements in the river. She’s done fishing enough times with her father to understand how it works. The Protector immediately slammed the wooden sword into the water, her sword hitting the top of the fish and stunning it. A shiny, piece of metal immediately pierced the fish as soon as her sword came into contact with the animal.

The Spymaster picked up the fish, a small, sharp piece of metal protruding from its head, almost that resembling a tiny dagger. Taking out the piece of metal, the Spymaster proceeded in cutting out the gills, allowing the fish bleed out before placing it on the riverbank.

“So, I see that you have experience in catching fish. I guess it won’t take that long to train you.” The Spymaster said, unexpected surprise in his façade once again that morning. He immediately threw his dagger at another fish that Elsa had stunned. “Why don’t you go set a fire while I clean these bad boys up?”

“Sure.” Elsa hopped out of the water and started walking towards the forest. She ascended a tree smoother than the first time. The platinum-blonde hopped from tree to tree to grab leaves and branches. Once she grabbed the necessary items, she descended from the treetops and made her way back to the riverbank to start the fire.

Once the fire was made and the fish were skewered, both held the fish above the fire.

“You know, when your father had told me that he couldn’t teach you anymore, I didn’t realize how literal he was.”

Elsa’s icy blue eyes looked up at the Spymaster. She cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean by that?”

The Spymaster chuckled in response, his grey eyes radiating an unfamiliar glow that he typically didn’t display. “Sir Brandon has taught you all he can. It makes sense considering that you have been trained to be the very best since birth, but I didn’t think that I would have trouble training you.”

Elsa’s jaw clench as she gritted her teeth. _Am I not enough? Have I been doing horribly this entire time?_

“Am I not showing enough improvement?” Kallum immediately shook his head in response.

“No, you’re showing astounding development. You pick up on things very quickly, and the things that you can do typically takes months, sometimes even years, to reach the level you perform in the span of a few hours.” Kallum turned his fish again.

“Uhm… thank you?” Elsa didn’t know what to typically say when it came to receiving praise. Ever since she had met the Spymaster two days ago, he always gave this cold and stoic aura. Growing up, Elsa was always instructed in her father’s teaching style: strict, precise and stern. It was only in the past two years when her father started to give her nods of approval and words of praise. _Even after two years, I’m not use to it._

“’In fact, you’re much better than most of my agents. If we continue training, you’ll probably surpass my top agent and even myself soon.” Kallum noted. He gazed back down at his fish. “I’m going to speak to Sir Brandon later today. In order to optimize on your improvement, it may be best for you to train with me every day. This will give yourself more room for growth and development while allowing your father to worry about your younger brother. Would that be okay with you?”

Elsa’s blue eyes widened slightly at the Spymaster’s proposition. The first thing that came into mind was Anna. _How would she feel about that? She already despises the fact that I get hurt when training with the Spymaster, but her safety is my number one priority. Kristoff needs improvement from father, but do I even trust him even if he were to progress?_

The Spymaster started fidgeting with the stick that held the fish. _Is he… nervous? I mean, he is basically asking if he can solely train me. Kallum is right, my father can’t teach me anymore than he has for the past fourteen years. Kallum has barely taught any of his agents, and they’re usually thrown to the next, available agent after a week of his training._

The Spymaster’s reputation was well-known within the ranks of Arendelle. Kallum was known to be cut-throat and vigorous, similar to Sir Brandon. The Spymaster was never satisfied, and each person that had undergone his training only lasted a day before they were thrown to be trained by the other agents. Kallum deemed that it was a waste of his time to train these lackluster agents. Additionally, the agents that had undergone his training didn’t last for more than two hours before giving in.

 _He’s willing to train me every day for five to six hours, but does he have other intentions? Is he still stuck on the idea of me being his successor? But that would mean that I can’t be Anna’s Protector… And Kristoff will have to take my place._ Elsa’s fist clenched at the thought.

“It’s okay if you do not wish for that. I understand that you have heard about my reputation when training my agents, and I’m not going to deny those rumors because they are true. But I see potential in you, kid, and I want to help unlock that potential to the fullest. I still wish that you would be my successor, but I also understand your affinity for the Princess.” Kallum withdrew the fish from the fire, inspecting it to make sure that it was cooked thoroughly.

He continued. “As Spymaster, you can still maintain your relationship with the Princess and keep her safe, even if it may not be directly. And in the end, if you still opt out of being a Spymaster, then at least you’ll be tremendously skilled to be a better Protector.”

Digesting the words, Elsa released a small sigh and ran a hand through her blonde braid. Her mind flashed back to a couple of nights ago, when the two were sitting on a bench in the town square. How each and every citizen of Arendelle knew the Princess. How each and every citizen greeted her as if she was their own blood. How each and every citizen adored and loved the Princess. _I can’t be selfish._

“Okay.” Kallum’s grey eyes shot up to meet Elsa’s blue ones.

“You accept?” he asked, surprise leaking in his voice.

“Not to be your successor; I request that offer to be adjourned for now. I accept being trained under you every day starting today, and you have my permission to ask my father about the change.”

“Very well, then. After we finish here, let’s head back to the castle. I’ll seek out your father while you should seek out for the Princess. She may have my head for keeping you away longer than expected.” The Spymaster chuckled, taking a bite out of his fish.

“Sounds like a plan.” Elsa withdrew the stick from the fire and took a bite out of her own fish.

* * *

“Excuse me, you what?” Anna growled, her hands flew onto Elsa’s shoulder and her eyes glared daggers at the blonde, whose lap she was currently occupied on.

The two were in Anna’s study, supper already served and the moonlight infiltrating through the balcony doors. Elsa had her arms wrapped around the younger girl’s waist, trying to rub subtle, but soothing, circles on the redhead’s lower back. She winced slightly when the Princess squeezed her shoulders, her nails digging into her long sleeve shirt.

Building up the courage to repeat herself, Elsa said, “I accepted Kallum’s proposal to being trained under him every day moving forward.” The look Anna was giving was now borderline murderous, but the Protector needed to stay hopeful.

“No, I forbid you. You are NOT training with Kallum every day; I was barely willing to let you be trained by him every other day. As Princess, I command that you refuse to take his offer.”

“Well, too late _Princess._ ” Elsa emphasized. “I already did.”

“Are you fucking insane? This is idiotic! You’re going to get hurt again. In fact, take your shirt off.”

Elsa’s eyes widened. “Eh-Excuse me?” _Way to be confident._

“You heard me. Shirt. Off. Now.” The Princess’s hands drifted from the blonde’s shoulder to the hem of her shirt. Elsa immediately unwrapped her arms from Anna’s waist and placed them around the redhead’s wrist, halting her movements.

“Why are you so urgent on having my shirt off?”

Anna sighed, yanking away one hand from Elsa’s grip to have a finger be pointed at the Protector’s chest. “Because I can see how severe your wounds are from today’s training.”

Before Elsa could reply, a couple of knocks were heard on the door. Saved by the stranger, Elsa yelled a quick “Come in”, and the door to the study swung open. They grey-eyed Spymaster stood at the door, looking at the couple with a raised eyebrow.

“Good evening, your Highness.” Kallum acknowledged. Anna immediately turned around, her teal eyes narrowing and drilling down onto the Spymaster. Elsa reacted quickly by wrapping her arms around the Princess’s waist, holding her down and preventing her from lunging at the Spymaster.

“Hey kid, so I talked to your father. He thinks it’s a spectacular idea. I just wanted to let you know and that we will meet every morning as we discussed in the training room.” Kallum’s demeanor stayed cool and collected under the Princess’s fiery gaze. “Do not worry, your Highness. Your Protector will still receive breaks to have her meals with you. Today was the only rare occurrence.”

Elsa tightened her grip around the Princess’s waist when she felt her fidget on her lap.

“Cool, okay. I’ll see you tomorrow, Sir Kallum.” Elsa gave the man a forced smile, her eyes quickly moving between the Princess and the grey-eyed man, hoping he would get the message. The brunette man bowed his head.

“Have a great rest of your night, Your Highness. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, kid.” The door closed behind the Spymaster, and Elsa finally loosened her grip around the girl’s waist. The redhead immediately turned her head back, her red braids whipping Elsa’s shoulders at the gesture.

“Why didn’t you let me go?” She hissed. Elsa rolled her eyes.

“Oh, so now you want me to let you go?”

“That’s not what I meant! I would’ve gouged his eyes out if you had just let me off.”

Elsa only chuckled, keeping her arms around the Princess’s waist. “I don’t think your father would appreciate his Spymaster being blind just because his daughter couldn’t control her anger.” The blonde teased. Anna crossed her arms across her chest, her bottom lip jutting forward.

“You’re not taking me seriously.”

“Anna, I’m telling you that I’ll be okay, okay? The Spymaster did say that we can still have our breakfast and lunch breaks. In fact, we should be done right at lunch anyways.” Elsa’s voice was soft, calm and almost soothing while the Princess only groaned in frustration.

“Why can’t you get it through your thick skull that I don’t want you to train under Kallum? You’re going to get hurt, and if we can stop that by having you not train with him, then so be it.”

“I’ll be fine, okay? Yes, I will get hurt inevitably from the training, but it will only make me stronger. I’ll be in much better shape and condition to be able to protect you. You mean the world to me, Anna.” The blonde said softly. Anna took deep breaths, her anger dissipating with each breath that she took. Her teal eyes bore into Elsa’s blue ones, sending shivers down her spine.

“But what if you mean the world to me?” Her voice leaked vulnerability, something that Elsa was accustomed to only when Anna would rant to her about serious arguments that she had withs her parents. She felt her heart rate pick up, her entire body reaching a high that she would only receive around the girl on her lap.

Elsa was at a loss of words, and her silence only encouraged the younger girl to continue to speak. “You’re my best friend, Elsa. We’ve literally grown up with each other since birth, and I can’t stand the thought of losing you. If anything were to happen to you…”

The Protector immediately placed both of her hands on the side of Anna’s face. “You won’t lose me, okay? I’ll be okay, I promise you.” The redhead shook her head, tears starting to well up within her eyes.

“You don’t know that! You always push yourself and you never know what your limit is.”

“Princess, we’re going around in circles. I’m telling you that I will be fine, and you have to trust me on that.”

“I don’t trust him! Have you not heard about all of the things that the guards and agents have said about his trainings?” Her voice started to raise in volume. Elsa only sighed, releasing her hands from Anna’s face and running it through her blonde braid.

Anna immediately slipped off of the Protector’s lap, standing on her own two feet and throwing her hands up in the air. “You know what, forget about it. I’m heading to bed.” And with that, the redhead walked towards the door of the study, opened it vigorously and slammed the door shut, the shock vibrating through the walls of the study.

_Well, shit_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! Thank you for taking the time to read and for your support! Really appreciate it :) See u in a few days for the next update


	7. The Promised Letter

Elsa awoken the next morning to an empty bed and a heavy heart. The blonde only sighed, reluctantly getting out of bed to prepare for her training. When she arrived in the training room in her usual black tights and light blue long sleeve, Kallum was leaning against the door to the entrance of training room.

“Hey, kid. Ready to head out?”

“Yeah, sure.” Elsa replied sharply. The Spymaster only looked at his apprentice before shrugging his shoulders.

“I think we need to focus on honing the basics first. Basics, defense then offense. Hopefully, by next month, we’ll be able to actually test what you have learned. I expect you to be proficient and apply all three in an actual mission. Back to basics, we will be working on being stealthy with speed, quietude and tranquility: expect to be running throughout the forest, the town and along the edges of the castle. We’ll probably work from the forest and through the town before you take a break, then proceed with the castle.”

Elsa nodded her head before quickly following the Spymaster as he started running out of the castle. The two arrived at the forest, doing their warmups in the trees which was slightly more difficult considering that the sun had not risen yet. Once their warmups were completed, with the absence of the sun in the sky, the pair proceeded to run back to the entrance of Arendelle.

“Let’s play a game, shall we? For the first half, because the sun isn’t up, you are going to try and evade me to the best of your ability. If I hit you with the wooden pieces, that’s a strike for you. On the second half, you’ll take your turn at trying to spot chase after me until you tap my shoulder, like a game of tag. Don’t cause a ruckus with the other citizens, kid. The basics of what you learn in the city today can be applied to any other city, but it’s also good to know the city of Arendelle inside and out.”

“Any tips?” Elsa asked. The Spymaster shrugged his shoulders again in response.

“I can provide you tips, but it’s also best if you first learn on your own. If you repeatedly make the same mistakes, I’ll stop to let you know what you can do to improve. Although, you seem to catch on quickly enough.” 

“Alright.” The Spymaster nodded his head before pointing into the city.

“I’ll give you three minutes to try and hide and evade me. From there, be prepared.” Kallum concluded.

Elsa’s feet started to immediately carry her into the city. Due to the lack of sunlight, she could hide in the rooftops or in the alleyways easily. When Elsa felt a piece of wood pierce into her body, she contemplated on how she could improve before moving forward. It seemed to work, considering that each time she was caught, the Spymaster only gave her a nod of approval. It also took longer each time for the Spymaster to spot her.

The sun was now peeking through the horizon, and Elsa was able to evade the Spymaster for about an hour. When she felt a piece of wood hit her thigh, she halted her movements and turned her body to the left. The Spymaster appeared right in front of the girl, bending down to pick up the wooden piece that had fallen.

“Good. You learned from your mistakes and persevered through. We will continue with this training for the rest of the week, but let’s switch the roles. You’re going to have to spot me and keep up with me as well. Although, due to the citizens, we don’t want to cause a ruckus, kid. This can also be applied for on the job – your enemy can be disguised as an ordinary citizen amongst the crowd, and you want to reduce the trouble you cause. You also don’t want me, or your enemy, to spot you, or else I will be aware of who you are, making it easier for me to avoid you at all cost.”

“Got it.”

“Give me a minute to blend in before you make your move.” Kallum directed before running into the crowd.

Elsa followed the Spymaster’s orders before she proceeded to find the man. As he had mentioned, the streets started to fill with people. From her knowledge, she knew that she shouldn’t always stay at an elevated level, even though it was very cliché to stay above ground level, but she couldn’t always follow the Spymaster at ground level either.

Their training ensued, with Elsa being able to tag the Spymaster three times throughout the session, surprising Kallum each time as her hand tapped on his shoulder. His grey eyes would always widen when Elsa would spot him and furtively make her move.

Kallum would provide Elsa with his words of advice to improve before the two of them proceeded their way towards the castle. When they reached the front gates, the Princess stood there with arms crossed and a morose look on her face. The young girl decided to wear a light, green top and black pants with a olive green coat that reached down to her waist. Kallum only shook his head, releasing an amused chuckle before patting his apprentice’s shoulder.

“Meet me back here in forty-five minutes, kid.” Kallum walked towards the entrance of the castle, greeting the Princess before disappearing out of sight.

Elsa made her way towards the redhead, her heart hammering against her chest and her mind running through a million thoughts per minute. When she stood in front of the Princess, the girl eyed Elsa’s body, making the Protector’s cheeks flush under the inquisitive gaze of the redhead. Anna released a scoff before grabbing her wrist and pulling Elsa along to the dining hall.

“Good morning, Anna.”

“I’m still mad at you.” _Well, that answers a lot of things._

Elsa wasn’t sure what to exactly say. Every time she attempted to say something, it seemed like they would go in a constant circle. Elsa stayed mute while the Princess pushed the doors to the dining hall open to display the Queen and King at the table.

Elsa greeted the two Royals, who only smiled at her kindly and gestured for her to have a seat. Elsa took her usual seat while Anna sat next to her. Throughout the entirety breakfast, Anna didn’t spare a glance at Elsa either. The blonde sat there, only responding politely to the King’s and Queen’s questions.

Once breakfast was over, the Princess stood up, grabbed Elsa by the wrist and dragged her out of the dining room. Once they were in the halls of the castle, the Princess released her grip from the Protector and proceeded to walk towards the East Wing of the castle. Elsa only sighed again, running a hand through her blonde braid. _I’ll deal with this later._

She started making her way back to the front gates of the castle, where Kallum was sitting on the ledge, swinging his feet back and forth. When Elsa made her presence, the Spymaster only pointed below.

“We’re going to start from the bottom and climb our way along the walls of the castle. Follow my lead, and make sure you have proper footing. Also, none of the guards know that we will be scaling the castle, so keep an eye out.” Kallum said, swinging his feet so that he was now standing on the stones of the bridge. The Spymaster proceeded to explain to the Protector tips and tricks of scaling the castle, and to also note the feel, structure and change in speed of each move they would make.

Scaling the castle from the bottom was somewhat successful to say the least. The two were able to evade the guards, and when it came to the workers of the castle, it was seemingly easy as long as they listened closely to the footsteps beyond the windows. When they had reached a ledge to take a rest, Kallum pointed towards the East Wing of the castle.

“That part of the castle is structured where it is basically impossible for anyone to scale it, myself included. The stones there are strong together, but you would need to adjust your body movements precisely to prevent the stones from falling under your feet. The stones are shaped so that your feet will easily slip off the stones. There also isn’t a strong grip on that side of the castle as well, hence why all the royals sleep on that side of the castle with the luxury of a balcony.”

“So, you’ve tried to scale that side before?”

“Plenty of times, kid. I’ve just concluded that its near impossible, especially since I did a bit more research by looking into the blueprints of the castle. Although, one day, maybe you could do it.” Kallum released a small chuckle, looking up at the sky.

“You think so?” Elsa inquired, her head cocked to the side.

The Spymaster only shook his head and gave his infamous, low chuckle. “I know so, kid. That game of tag we played today shows your improvement, and you’ve only been trained under me for three days. You have the fighting spirit in you that will make you exceptional.”

There he went again with his belief in her: his belief that she can be an extraordinary individual. Elsa took a deep breath in and out.

“What makes you think that? What if I fail?” her blue eyes drilled down onto the Spymaster, who only precariously glanced at the Protector with his grey eyes before gazing back up at the sky.

“You won’t. You have this aura within you that makes you stand out from the rest, that makes you _better_ than the rest. It’s your drive to be better, not only for yourself but for Princess Anna.” Elsa’s blue eyes widened. Kallum paused, his mouth opened for a brief second before it closed. His grey eyes gazed at the girl once again before looking back up at the sky.

“Kid, there’s always something that someone values which pushes their drive to do better and to be better. No matter how heartless or cruel or lazy someone can be, there has to be at least one thing that they would do _anything_ for. Your one thing is Princess Anna.”

Elsa released a wry laugh, gazing at the ocean from the ledge they were perched upon. “Am I that obvious?”

“I think some people may mistake it as friendliness. You two have grown up with one another for your entire lives. I’m just surprised nothing has happened.”

Genuine curiosity leaked in Elsa’s reply. “What do you mean by that?” She gave a brief look at the Spymaster, who rolled his grey eyes at his apprentice.

“I mean that nothing seems to happen between you two besides looks and touches. For someone who is so meticulous and attentive, you sure are oblivious to Princess Anna’s actions. Ever heard the saying ‘actions speak louder than words’, kid?”

Now it was Elsa’s turn to snort. “You’re delusional. Besides, Anna will become Queen six years from now. She’s going to need to find herself a Prince to marry, and I’m sure she will attract all the Princes in the world. Why would she choose me over them?”

Kallum’s grey eyes finally turned to stare right into Elsa’s blue ones, peering into her soul in a similar manner that he did the first day they had met. “Kid, you are actually stupid. As a Spymaster, I am just telling you what I see, and well, let’s just say that maybe your feelings aren’t one-sided.”

Elsa only frowned, breaking her gaze with the Spymaster and looking back at the ocean. “It’s not like it will happen anyways. I am her Protector, and my duty to protect her comes first. As my father has mentioned, our bloodline as Protectors aren’t meant to mix with the Royal family. Feelings get in the way and cloud the responsibility and duty, giving the enemy a small moment of an opportunity because you showed a small moment of weakness. Feelings make you weak.”

“That didn’t seem like the case when we were training in the forest yesterday, now does it?” Kallum replied. Elsa didn’t answer, knowing fully that the Spymaster knew what got her through that training. “Wow, you are your father’s daughter.” The Spymaster released a small chuckle before standing up.

“Well kid, we’re done with training for today. We’ll continue more with basics and improving fundamentals over the next two weeks, sprinkling along some more technical skills that you would need to know.”

The two descended the castle walls, eventually reaching the gates of the castle. When they were approaching, Elsa recognized a small figure standing there with their arms crossed. As the distance between the figure and Elsa closed with each step the blonde took, she was able to clearly recognize the intimidating countenance that the Princess adorned. Kallum stayed behind, allowing Elsa to continue on her own as she made long strides towards the young girl.

Without saying a single word, the redhead grabbed Elsa’s wrist and dragged her along back to the dining hall. Elsa complied, tolerating the younger girl’s attitude for now as the two entered the room. Just as it was a few hours ago, the King and Queen were sitting at their usual seats. Elsa greeted them with a smile before taking her usual seat with Anna next to her. The Princess continued giving her the cold shoulder while her father and mother were trying to maintain a conversation in the atmosphere.

The King spoke up, “So, Elsa… I’ve heard that you have started training with Spymaster Kallum?” King Agnarr’s green eyes was piqued with curiosity, his focus on the person he calls a second daughter blinding his sight of his actual daughter’s reaction. Anna’s hands clenched into fist around her utensils, something which Elsa had caught in the corner of her eye.

“Yes, I have.” Elsa quickly shifted her gaze back to the King, who only nodded his head with an approving smile.

“I would hope he would train you sometime soon. From your father’s boasting about you, Brandon should have known that there would come a time to which the student would succeed the teacher.”

Elsa shook her head. “I don’t think I have surpassed my father’s skill.”

The King gave a boisterous laugh at the young Protector. “Your father is growing old in age, Elsa. Besides, if you haven’t surpassed him now, you definitely will eventually if you keep training under Spymaster Kallum."

“Thank you, Uncle Agnarr.” Elsa smiled.

The King nodded his head excitedly. “In fact, I’ve heard from Spymaster Kallum himself that he may take you on one of his escort missions in the next month.”

Elsa only titled her head to the side in response. Meanwhile, Anna’s teal eyes widened to the size of globes, only going unnoticed by the King. Elsa and the observant gaze of the Queen had caught on her reaction. A clatter of utensils was heard, and all attention averted to the disruption.

Anna ducked down to pick up the utensils that she dropped, quickly coming back up to place them on the table before offering her mother and father a fictitious smile. “I actually should really get to my studies! You know, I should learn as much as I can as soon as possible.” The redhead stood up from her seat while her father nodded his head receptively and enthusiastically. “Come on, Elsa. Let’s go.” The Princess grabbed the girl’s wrist, pulling her up and immediately dragging her out of the dining hall.

When they had walked beyond the closed doors, Anna continued to pull Elsa through the castle halls without saying a word. The two took a familiar path that eventually lead them to the East Wing. Once they reached a door at the end of the hall that they were both accustomed to, Anna pushed it open and yanked the blonde inside before slamming it shut.

The Princess led to the two to the bean bags before pushing Elsa down aggressively on it. Instead of taking her usual spot on the Protector’s lap, she crossed her arms and glared menacingly at the older girl.

“When were you going to tell me that you were going to go on an escort mission?”

Elsa blinked a few times before responding, “I didn’t even know Kallum wanted me to go on an escort mission with him.”

The Princess groaned, throwing her hands up in the air. “Do you know how dangerous escort missions can be? You can be jumped! There’s always a dangerous reason why people need escorts, especially if it relates to the Spymaster of Arendelle.” Elsa only cocked her head to the side, confusion etched across her features.

“Maybe it could be a favorable exposure? There will be times when you need to travel anyways, and it would be beneficial if I have experience when it comes to protecting people during expeditions.”

“Elsa, please don’t do this.” Her voice quivered, and for a split second, all Elsa wanted to do was wrap her arms around the girl and promise her everything and anything that she wanted. _Something has to change_

Elsa only released a sigh _._ Shaking her head, her blue eyes drifted down to the ground. “I’m sorry, Anna, but I have to do it, and you can’t change my mind about it.” Elsa said with a resolute voice.

Anna stood there as her arms started to wrap around her own waist in a defensive stance. For a brief second, Elsa witnessed the small tremble that ran through the Princess’s body and those eyes succinctly start to water. In that second, Elsa wanted to take back all that she said, wanted to tell the girl that she wouldn’t go and that they can stay in their study every night, doing their typical routine of reading or studying. For a second, Elsa was willing to take all of that back and to halt her trainings with Kallum.

“ _Sometimes, feelings, such as love, can blind you to make mistakes.”_ Her father’s words echoed within her mind, causing the doubt that Elsa had to diminish quickly. _I won’t be blinded to do what’s right._

Anna closed her eyes, taking a single deep breath in, holding it for a few seconds before exhaling. When she opened her eyes once more, it was filled with a fire that Elsa has never encountered before when knowing the Princess.

“Fine.” The girl hissed, her voice leaking with venom that sent a shiver down Elsa’s spine. “I’m going to go study.” The Princess turned around, making her way towards the desk before taking a seat on the chair. She took out her necessary books, paper and pens from the drawers before starting to work.

Elsa sat on the beanbags, frozen in place. As time progressed in the reticent study, Elsa watched from afar as the Princess’s teal eyes started to narrow at the work that was bestowed upon her. It felt…odd? It felt different to watch the Princess from afar. It felt unusual to not be next to the girl, pointing out certain things while Anna’s eyebrows would furrow in thought about certain topics and ideas.

Elsa hated the feeling.

She didn’t know what to do. She knew that Anna was fuming about the entire situation, and it didn’t help the fact that they were both too stubborn for their own good. The blonde released a sigh, running a hand through her braid.

_What do I do now?_

She knew it wasn’t wise to talk to Anna right now, or else it would just worsen the situation. They both needed time to breathe. Elsa’s eyes peered at the Princess for a brief moment. _But I can’t just leave her here alone._

After much deliberation, Elsa decided that being in each other’s presence would be comforting, even if they weren’t currently on great terms. Elsa stood up and felt those teal eyes shift their gaze quickly to her. Blue met teal, and Elsa quickly read the hesitancy and insecurity that was laced in those eyes. Giving the girl a reassuring smile, the Protector strode her way towards the bookshelves behind the chair that Anna was currently residing in.

Elsa’s pale hand reached forward to grab a book. She walked towards the end of the shelf to also pick up a piece of paper and a pen before making her way back towards the beanbags. Prior to taking a seat on the beanbag, Elsa turned around, her eyes drifting back to the Princess, whose tense shoulders started to relax.

The Protector placed the piece of paper and pen on her lap before opening her book to start reading. Throughout her reading, Elsa would periodically glance up from her book to check on the Princess before shifting her gaze back down. Each time, she would also feel those teal eyes gaze at her for a fleeting moment before they would focus back onto the desk.

It seemed like an endless back and forth of subtle glances and quick, shy looks. It made the situation feel a bit lighter, a bit less severe. _At least I know she doesn’t completely hate my guts._

Elsa would take pauses from her book to place the piece of paper on the novel, using it as a hard surface to jot words on the paper for ten minutes, occasionally pausing prior to writing anything down. Eventually, the sun was starting to set, shadows of the night setting into the room that the Princess and Protector currently resided in.

Elsa looked down at the paper, her eyes shifting across the slim material with a satisfied smile perched upon her lips. Elsa looked at the clock to see that it was fifteen minutes before supper, signaling for her to make her move. The Protector folded the paper into three sections, similar to that of a brochure, stood from her seat and made her way towards the bookshelf to stow away her novel that she barely read.

The blonde stopped right next to Anna, clutching the tri-folded piece of paper in her hand. Anna shifted her gaze from her studies to look up at the older girl, teal meeting blue again, an unspoken yet intense aura filling the atmosphere. Elsa placed the paper on top of the book that Anna was currently reading, giving her a small smile before quietly saying, “I’m not really hungry, so I’ll see you later.”

Before Anna could even reply, the Protector briskly walked out of the study and in the direction of the training room.

Anna stayed in her seat, frowning at the abruptness from the older girl’s behavior. Her eyes glanced down at the folded paper which the older girl had left. Her arm extended and her hand started hovering over the paper, pausing only for a second before her fingers dove into the creases of the paper.

The Princess took the paper into both hands, unfolding it as if it would fall apart with the slightest pressure. Her hands slightly trembled, and the Princess bit her bottom lip when her eyes scrutinized Elsa’s handwriting.

_My Dearest Anna,_

_I promised you that I would write a letter for you each and every week, and you know how I hate breaking promises. I want to tell you how my week has gone from my point of view. It started off with my usual training with my father and Kristoff. Of course, my trainings with my father always seem to be interrupted by the brightest, kindest and intelligent shining star that I have known for the past fifteen years. Every time you enter a room, it seems that the atmosphere always changes, and it becomes alive, with you at the center of it all._

_I’m glad that I wasn’t the only one noticing this, considering that my brother seemed to have foster a crush on you, that impulsively burst through, when he suggested to basically go on a date with you that night, and yet you still wanted me to come along. Kristoff is a nice guy, and I was surprised when you weren’t even interested in the slightest in giving him a small chance. I’ll be honest with you – I was scared and jealous. I was scared that I may lose you and was jealous at the fact that I may have to share your attention and time with my younger brother. Although, that is bound to happen when you do find yourself a suitor and enter the courting stage. I’m not looking forward to that moment, but I know that you do deserve to fall in love, and I hope that your future partner treats you the way you deserve to be treated: as the most precious thing in the entire universe._

_Anyways, the training after our sleepover, I came to be told by my father that he couldn’t teach me anymore—that he has taught me all that he could. We now introduce Spymaster Kallum, a fairly young man who can teach and train me much more than my father could at this point. I remember him studying with me with those grey eyes as if he was trying to unravel every single secret and strength and weakness that I possess. He saw potential in me; thus, ensues our training. He has a tendency to call me kid…_

_We did the wooden pieces exercise the first day, scaled and traveled across tree tops the second day and finally practiced stamina, speed and stealth along the castle and town. I’ll have to admit, the three days that I have trained with Spymaster Kallum has been the most strenuous, laborious and difficult trainings that I have ever undergone. And yet, according to the Spymaster, I showed tremendous improvement. Spymaster Kallum gives me criticism and pushes me to do better and be better. Throughout the entire time, I could have backed off or given up, but the thought of you came into my mind. I wanted to become stronger, I needed to become stronger because I wanted to be better at protecting you. Because, my dearest Anna, you are stuck with me. I made that promise ten years ago, and I don’t intend to break it by losing my life trying to protect you (not that I wouldn’t risk my life, but I can’t stand the thought of having you be hurt because I wasn’t strong enough to survive)._

_And today, the day which I am writing this letter, we got into a huge argument over the training and unexpected mission that I will get into a month from now. It felt abnormal to not have you in my arms while we study. It felt abnormal gazing from afar as your eyebrows would furrow and your tongue would slightly stick out between your teeth in thought. It felt abnormal to have this tension fill the air. I know what you’re trying to get at, but I can’t stand the thought of losing you, of failing to save your life because I was weak. I think I can speak on behalf of the entire Kingdom when I say that if anything were to happen to you, everyone would enter into a state of sorrow._

_Please, Anna. Please allow me to keep training under Spymaster Kallum and attend the mission with him. I need to become stronger to not only protect you, but to also stay alive to be with you. Even though I’d rather enter a state of nothingness than have you be gone from my life, I intend to keep our pinky promise. I love you, Anna._

_Yours forever,_

_Elsa W._

By the time Anna had finished reading the letter, she felt her fingers tremble uncontrollably. A couple of knocks were heard on the door, and with shaky fingers, the Princess quickly closed the letter and stored it away in her drawer before saying a “come in”.

The door creaked open, revealing the head of the maids, Gerda. “Princess Anna, supper will be ready soon.”

“I’ll be down shortly, Gerda. Thank you.” Anna offered the woman a smile, who bowed her head and closed the door behind her.

Anna released a shaky breath, thousands of thoughts going through her head. The Princess opened the drawer again with the stacks of letters from Elsa that she had received over the years they have known each other. She grabbed the one at the top, stuffing it into her coat before standing from her chair and making her way out of her study with a heavy heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!  
> Thank you so much for your overwhelming support and interest! I really appreciate hearing and seeing that you enjoy it. Catch you rather in two days or four days for an update!!! (Or maybe both? Hehe)


	8. The Wind Sigil

Anna quickly scarfed down her supper, her parents wide eyed and surprised at how quickly their daughter had eaten. Once she was done, without even asking for her parents’ permission, the younger girl excused herself and bolted out of the dining hall. She made a quick stop to the kitchen, where she picked up a small plate of finger foods and chocolate dessert that she requested from the chef.

Her feet carried her down a familiar path that she had grown accustomed to doing for the past fifteen years. Eventually, she reached a door that she had basically spent three-fourths of her total nights in. Anna raised her hand, rapidly tapping on the door with the back of her knuckles. She waited for about fifteen seconds to pass.

There was no reply.

She tried rapping against the door again.

There was still no reply.

Releasing a small sigh, Anna placed her forehead against the door, closing her teal irises and inhaling a deep breath in. She could just go back to her room which was basically down the hall. Although, what if she couldn’t hear when Elsa came back if she was out? The Protector’s steps were silent but deadly; therefore, making it a much harder decision for Anna on whether or not she should stay or go.

But where else would Elsa go? She had done her trainings earlier this morning and the only other place that she would think the Protector would be in, if not her room, was in their study.

Anna exhaled the breath she held.

Opening her eyes once more, Anna turned around so that her back was against the door before she slid down to sit on the ground with a thud. She leaned her head against the wooden door, her eyes looking forward at the window that was in front of the Protector’s door.

“Elsa, can we please talk?” There was still no reply. With a sigh, Anna lightly tapped the door with her head. “I’m not leaving until we talk, Elsa. I will stay here for the entire night if I have to.”

Was the Protector inside her room? Anna knew the blonde girl’s habits when it came to her being stressed. She didn’t eat, which was why she didn’t join the Royal family for supper. Although, if she didn’t eat, then where else would she go? The girl would unwind by taking a long bath or reading in the comfort of her bed. It was too late and dark to be out in the gardens, so where else could Elsa possibly be?

“Elsa, I know you’re in there. I brought you food and desserts since I know how you don’t really eat when you’re stressed. I’m sorry that I caused you stress, but please let me in so that we could talk about it.”

Anna sat there for five minutes, waiting idly by as maids walked down the hall, giving her a bewildered look. Anna only waved each one off, and they all walked away with a shrug to their shoulders.

Approximately four hours had passed, and the redhead still sat at against the door with knees up to her chest. She felt herself starting to doze off, her solicitations starting to slowly progress to quiet whimpers. Anna rubbed the top of her arms vigorously, feeling the harsh, temperature transition from fall to winter. Even within the halls of the castle, it still felt cold.

“Elsa…” her voice was barely audible at this point. “I’m not leaving.”

True to her word, the girl was not planning on leaving from her spot. She was determined to see the Protector, even if it meant staying at the same position in front of her door all night.

Anna knew how much she had mismanaged the situation. She knew that this time, her stubborn nature and overprotectiveness of the platinum-blonde haired girl had gotten them to this point. If Anna was being honest, she was going through excruciating and agonizing pain when being apart from the Protector in the study today. It didn’t feel right for her gluteus maximus to actually meet the seat of the chair. It didn’t feel right to watch from afar as the Protector would read and write on the beanbags without her. It didn’t feel right to sit alone on her chair.

Anna missed how she would sit on the Protector’s lap and hear Elsa’s angelic voice point out certain parts of her readings. She missed seeing the Protector’s head tilt to the side in comprehension, or how her eyebrows would knit in confusion about something that Anna would later explain to her. She missed having the feeling of Elsa’s arms around her waist, her soft fingers occasionally drawing soothing circles on her back. She missed being able to lean her head against Elsa’s shoulder, or always burrowing her face into the crook of her neck to inhale her vanilla-snow scent.

“Elsa, please…”

“Anna?” the voice was distant, and it definitely did not seem like the sound came from behind the door. The Princess turned her head to see the Protector sprint down the hall, still dressed in her black tights and long sleeve blue shirt. When the older girl had reached Anna, she bent down to place her soft, pale hand on the younger’s forehead.

Anna’s eyes scrutinized Elsa. The girl seemed out of breath, her muscles tensed and her blonde wisps sticking to her forehead, most likely from the tiny beads of sweat that Anna had noted on the girl’s face.

“You’re going to get a cold if you stay out here, Anna. I’m going to need you to scoot away from the door so that I could let us both in.” Her voice was soft, the end of her sentence leaked slight hesitance, as if the idea may have been too soon.

The Princess grabbed the plate of food and scooted to the side, enabling the blonde to open her bedroom door. Once Elsa had done so, she turned her attention back to the redhead and offered her hand to the girl. Anna reached over, having warmth, security and relief disseminate through her fingertips at the touch of the girl’s hand against hers.

The Protector pulled her up gently, her feet suddenly springing back to life. Although, the strength was too much, causing Anna to be pulled until her chest came into contact with the Protector’s. Neither of them moved, and they both stayed against each other. Anna only buried her face into the crook of Elsa’s neck while the older girl placed a tender kiss on the Princess’s forehead.

Anna didn’t realize that they were not in the hallway anymore until Elsa had gently placed her down onto her bed. The blonde gazed down at the girl lovingly, leaning forward to place another kiss on her forehead. “I’m going to take a quick shower, okay? Kind of really sweaty.”

The redhead only nodded her head. Elsa smiled down at the girl once more before heading in the direction of the bathroom that was connected to her room. The Protector stopped at the doorframe, her hand resting on the doorknob of the bathroom door. “Feel free to use any of my pajamas if you plan on sleeping over.” The bathroom door closed shortly after.

Anna stood from the bed, her legs slightly wobbling as her feet touched the ground. The Princess trudged over to the desk and chair that was positioned in the corner of the room. She took her coat off and draped it over the chair. The girl then walked over to the drawers, taking out one of Elsa’s large shirts. The redhead changed quickly, stripping out of her black pants and green top to exchange it for Elsa’s shirt, the Protector’s scent infiltrating into Anna’s sinuses. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath in, she savored the vanilla-snow scent of the elder.

The Princess waddled her way back towards the bed, getting under the covers and laying there to wait for the Protector to finish her shower. While the sound of running water was heard a wall away, Anna’s mind started to wander regarding the whereabouts of the Protector. It seemed that when Elsa had arrived, she had finished some sort of vigorous, physical activity.

Did she go to training again? Did Spymaster Kallum force her to train again?

Anna shook her head at the thought. She had confronted the Spymaster once, interrogating the man about his training sessions with the blonde. The Spymaster only told her that he would have to train the young Protector from the break of dawn up until the afternoon, and the rest of the time beyond the afternoon was free time for the Protector. Spymaster Kallum emphasized how he had other duties beyond training the young apprentice.

Was she with a lover?

The thought made Anna’s body stiffen up. Could it be possible? Images of a nude Elsa flashed through her mind, and a heavy blush casted over Anna’s face. It wasn’t like the Protector was unattractive or disgusting; in fact, the girl was the complete opposite of that. She was kind, beautiful and breathtaking. But what about a few nights ago, when Elsa had told her there was no one? Was she lying?

The water running beyond the wall stopped, immediately snapping Anna back to reality. It wasn’t even another second before she heard the creak of the door. Elsa walked in only with her bathrobe on. Her wet, blonde tresses cascaded down her back while her baby blue eyes came into contact with the teal ones that laid on the bed.

The older girl gave the younger one a comforting smile before making her way towards her drawers. Meanwhile, Anna’s eyes ogled over the girl clad in a bathrobe, her thoughts that had incapacitated her mind, only fleeting moments ago, emerging once more. The Protector escaped from the Princess’s line of vision, disappearing behind the bathroom door. Anna shook her head, trying to recollect her thoughts and sensibility that seemed to have disappeared when Elsa made her presence.

When the blonde reappeared back into the room, she was dressed in her usual pajamas. Elsa advanced her way over towards the redhead, sitting on the edge of the bed and waiting for Anna to give her permission. The Princess only released a small chuckle before sitting up to reach over and tug the blonde towards her. Recognizing the unspoken message, Elsa crawled her way towards Anna, feeling the covers be pulled over both of their bodies.

The Princess promptly assumed her rightful position on the Protector’s chest, the latter’s tense body slowly relaxing under the girl’s touch. Anna gazed up at the blonde girl from her position. “I’m sorry.”

Elsa started to fall back into her usual routine with her, caressing the girl’s back. “You shouldn’t be sorry for anything, Anna. You were only looking out for me.”

The younger girl shook her head. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. I get that it’s your job to do this and you were bred to be like this since we were babies.” Anna reached over to start playing with Elsa’s free hand. “I just… sometimes, I wish that you weren’t my Protector for my own selfish reasons. I don’t like the fact that there’s a chance that you might get hurt, and I get that it’s all part of the job to protect me, but I don’t know what I would do if something were to ever happen to you. You’re basically my entire life.”

“Maybe if things were different, if I wasn’t my father’s daughter, then we wouldn’t have to worry about losing each other this way.” Elsa placed a small kiss on Anna’s temple when she felt the girl slightly tremble in her arms. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way. If I wasn’t your Protector, maybe I wouldn’t have met you, or maybe I would only have been a maid or a visiting Princess you would have no interest in; I can’t imagine living that kind of life without you.”

Elsa felt the tremors intensify against her chest, and all she could do was continue rubbing soothing circles on the girl’s back, murmuring words of affirmation into her ear while placing the occasional, soothing kiss on the top of the Princess’s head.

Anna’s trembles assuaged slightly, enabling the Princess to speak up after a much, needed silence. “Promise me that you’ll get stronger? Promise me that you will come back from the mission alive and well?”

“I promise you, Anna.” Elsa gently removed her hand from Anna’s clutches, raising a single pinky for the Princess to latch around with her own. Once that was done, the Princess went back to fiddling with the Protector’s hand. Meanwhile, Elsa kept her gaze on the redhead in her arms. Everything felt at ease now.

“Read to me?” Anna yawned. Elsa only nodded her head, quick to untangle their fingers in order to reach over to her bedside table and grab their book.

When Elsa flipped to the usual page and started reading to the Princess, the young girl would give intermittent hums to signal the Protector that she was still awake. Although, once they had reached about five pages in, she heard the light snore that came from the girl.

With a small chuckle, Elsa tucked the bookmarker into the book before placing it back on the bedside table. Wrapping both arms around Anna, Elsa couldn’t help but dote on the features of the redhead. From her freckles, to which she was very insecure about, to her baby-like cheeks, saying Elsa was smitten would be an understatement. Elsa loved the way those freckles would move when the Princess would scrunch her nose up or squint at something. She loved each and every freckle upon the young girl’s body, comparing them to a boundless number of stars; therefore, making Anna the universe that held those stars. _She is my universe._

Anna is Elsa’s universe. A universe that holds bright, beautiful teal gems. A universe that possess beauty which words cannot describe. A universe that was unpredictable, but still held serendipitous surprises with each passing second. Being with Anna gave the blonde a sense of comfort, security and euphoria, but each moment they shared together was never mundane.

And those words were back on the tip of Elsa’s tongue. The Protector placed an amorous kiss on Anna’s forehead, pouring in almost all that was unexpectedly built up within her for quite some time.

“I love you.” Her voice was raw and dripping with ardor. Those words felt like a weight that was finally lifted from her chest. Elsa felt warm, fuzzy and elated, embracing her own confession and feelings for once in her life.

Although, she felt a pierce to her heart once she considered the facts. Anna would only love her as a best friend. She was bound to be courted by a Prince sometime soon, and all Elsa could do was watch on the sidelines, holding her tongue and feeling her heart clench.

She would have front row seats to it all.

Anna would have to share her time and attention with another royalty from another Kingdom, and maybe the girl would soon realize that Elsa is just her Protector and only that. They will probably become distant from one another, Anna’s time occupied by actual love that she deserves. The girl in her arms deserves to be with someone that can give her the entire world, anything to her heart desires.

All Elsa could give her was protection and her love.

Elsa felt sudden wetness graze her cheeks, and she immediately wiped them away with the back of a hand. _I just have to cherish my time with her now._ Elsa’s eyes shifted back down to the sleeping girl in her arms.

Even though she knew the Princess wouldn’t hear her because of the aftereffects of sleep that engulfed her current state, the Protector confessed another “I love you” before feeling her own eyelids droop. Elsa submitted to the clutches of sleep, dreaming and thinking only about the girl in her arms. 

* * *

“Is he even ready?” Elsa growled, her hands clenching tightly over the cup of water that she was supposed to ingest. The Spymaster slipped out of the training room doors, knowing that this wasn’t his place and conversation right now.

Elsa’s father only sighed and nodded his head at his eldest daughter. The Protector’s blue irises darkened to a deep sapphire, unintentionally glaring at her father.

“I’ve been training him, Elsa. Although he may not be as good as you, at least he’s showing some type of improvement. He needs real experience with this. Besides, you’ll be on a mission for a week, meaning that the Princess will be left without a Protector during the time. Might I add, the Winter Solstice celebration is nearing.” Her father reasoned.

“Yeah, the Winter Solstice where the earliest time people will actually be coming into Arendelle will be a couple of days after I arrive. There won’t be as eminent danger until then, which should be the time that I will be back from the mission with Spymaster Kallum.”

“Which is more the reason to allow him to play Protector for the week that you’re gone, Elsa. There won’t be an actual risk present, so his job will be a bit easier.”

Elsa only sighed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath in to try and calm herself down. “I’d much prefer if you were to just protect her while I’m gone.” Elsa opened her eyes to only see her father shake his head.

“You know I have to protect the King and Queen. I wasn’t the one who decided for you to go on this mission, Elsa. You’re leaving tomorrow morning anyways, and there is no way that I will allow a Royal Guard to take your place on your temporary leave.”

“Still may do a better job than Kristoff.” She grumbled. The eldest Winter scowled at his daughter’s comment. Truth was, Elsa didn’t want to lose Anna to Kristoff in that week. _What if Anna forgets about me? Or what if she finds out that the younger Winter is much more enjoyable than the older one? What if I come back to her only wanting Kristoff to be her Protector? What if that foolish boy acts on his feelings?_

“Elsa.” Her father’s voice pervaded her thoughts. Elsa snapped back into reality, her blue eyes meeting identical ones that was filled with plea.

Elsa released another sigh, slicking back her golden wisps and running a hand through her braid. “Does Anna know about this?’

Her father shook his head, a sheepish grin perched upon his lips. “I was hoping that if you would agree, you could bring the news to the Princess? I’ve discussed with the King and Queen about this, and they agree that the Princess will take this much better coming from your own mouth.”

Her father was right. Anna would react much more positively if it came from Elsa. Furthermore, her brother did need to know how to protect the Princess. _It’s only a week. I’ll only be gone for a week, and then I will be the Princess’s Protector again before the start of the Winter Solstice celebration._

“Fine.” Her father blinked his wide eyes.

“Yes?”

“Yes.” Elsa repeated. The man nodded his head excitedly, his lips curving upward in approval.

“Great, okay! Well, lunch is approaching so you should get going.”

Elsa only nodded her head before she headed out of the training room. On her way out, she accidentally bumped into her brother’s large frame. Thankfully, due to her immense training, the girl did not falter from the impact. In fact, Kristoff was the one that stumbled backwards when he collided with his smaller, older sister.

“Elsa, good afternoon.” The boy greeted once he had recovered from the impact.

Elsa’s icy, blue eyes morphed into the dark, sapphire ones that was present in the beginning of her conversation with her father. She had felt a surge of anger and possessiveness overcome her. The agreement that had occurred mere seconds ago in the room had settled back into her mind.

Her younger brother was going to have the Princess to himself for a week – an entire week without Elsa being there. The older girl would be miles away, unable to monitor it all. It irked her how she didn’t have control over this situation. Having lack of control always irked the Protector. _Just like how the lack of control with my feelings can be so troublesome at times._

“You’re protecting Anna starting tomorrow, correct?”

The blonde man nodded his head enthusiastically, a giddy smile framing his lips. “Yeah, don’t worry too much about it.”

His voice was nonchalant about this that it vexed Elsa even more. Even though her countenance may have seemed calm, the blonde was fuming internally. Her trainings with Spymaster Kallum have proven to be efficient, considering that one of their sessions was regarding disguises. She was taught how to disguise her genuine feelings, being told that if the enemy was able to read your features and feelings easily, they would quickly find the most vulnerable spot. Although, feelings tend to give people unexpected and inhumane strength.

“ _Conceal but feel.” Kallum’s words echoed in her mind._

Her younger brother had a dopey smile framed upon his lips. Elsa observed how his eyes seemed to have spaced out, his body in a state of relaxation, almost border lining joy. _The boy is daydreaming about Anna._

The fact that he was treating it as some kind of stroll in the park made the eldest sibling’s blood boil. His easygoing reaction just meant the possibility of his lack of solemnity in the extremity of protecting Anna. Furthermore, Elsa knew that her feelings of possessiveness intensified. In one swift movement, the older sibling shoved the taller man into the wall, a single hand fisted his shirt and lifted him so that his feet were barely touching the ground.

The boy’s brown eyes quickly snapped out of his daze and widened in surprise at his elder’s assault. “I swear Kristoff, if I come back from my mission to find a single, tiny scratch on her, I _will_ kill you. I will hunt you down and make you pay for being so _careless_. Do I make myself clear?” The dark, sapphire eyes bore into the frightened, brown ones. The taller blonde nodded his head quickly.

“Kristoff, I’m going to need words. Do you understand?” the boy started to gasp for breath as the single fist, that was clenching his shirt and lifting him from the ground, had pressed itself against the base of his throat.

“Y-Yes.” he whimpered. With that response, the older girl unclenched her fist and pulled her hand away, causing Kristoff to stumble at the sudden drop and quickly catch his breath.

“Good. See you in a week.” Elsa’s cold voice leaked into the air. The young Protector turned on her heel before walking away from her brother, who was only trying to catch his breath and watch in awe at his older sister’s pure strength and improvement.

* * *

Anna groaned in her seat, expectedly being the Protector’s lap, and leaned forward to place her forehead on the girl’s shoulder. Elsa chuckled at the girl’s reaction and wrapped her arms around her waist, her fingers grazing the redhead’s back.

“There isn’t anyone else that could possibly take your place for a week?” Dread laced into her inquiry. The Protector kept running soothing circles on the girl’s back, shaking her head in response.

“I already asked my father, and he thinks that it is best if we give Kristoff a chance in proving the trainings that he has had to be effective.”

Elsa could feel the girl’s lips curve downward against her shoulder. “Don’t worry, it’ll only be a week before I come back.” The Princess pulled away from Elsa’s shoulder to gaze into those baby, blue eyes. Anna wrapped her arms around Elsa’s neck, running her hands through the hair on the girl’s scalp.

“He could keep you company in here, and if he hurts himself, which could be a possibility considering that he seems to lose his hand-eye coordination around you -” Anna glared at the Protector. “– then you can take care of his wounds, considering that you have tons of experience with that from my trainings.”

It was true that Elsa would receive wounds from her trainings with Spymaster Kallum, and each time after her trainings, Anna would immediately treat the Protector’s wounds. When the Protector suggested that she could go to the infirmary within the castle, Anna constantly refused, even during times where the latter had a tight schedule.

“No, he is not allowed to step into our study. This is _our_ place, not _his._ ” Anna stated firmly. Elsa’s heartrate picked up again for the millionth time that month. Ever since Elsa had come to terms with her feelings, she always noted how the strange reactions she had from her heart and gut always related to her realization from that one night. _Our study. Our place._

“Also, he can walk his own self to the infirmary if he needs medical attention.” Elsa released an earnest laugh at that statement.

“Why would he need to walk to the infirmary when he’s going to be next to the best nurse for the majority of the day?” Elsa playfully teased, a small smile perched upon her lips. Anna shook her head, her twin braids bouncing with each shake.

The Princess scrunched up her nose, her freckles cluttering closely together on her nose bridge for a slim moment. “No way am I going to treat him. I only like taking care of you because you’re special to me.”

Elsa felt butterflies in her stomach at the younger girl’s affectionate words. If Elsa had a penny for every time that Anna had made her stomach feel this way, she would have been a billionaire. Note that this was only including the times when the Princess would be the cause of the butterflies in her stomach. It wasn’t including times when the young girl would make the organ in Elsa’s chest beat at an abnormal rate

“That seems fair enough.” Elsa commented. Anna continued to play with the hairs that were now slightly sticking out of Elsa’s elegant, loose, blonde braid.

“I will allow him to be my Protector for the week in your stead.” Elsa rolled her blue eyes at the “royalty” tone of voice that Anna was using. “But I have some requests that he must respect.”

Elsa tilted her head to the side. “And what are those requests, your Highness?”

Anna only released one hand that was around the blonde’s neck, raising up her pointer finger. “One: He is not allowed in my room or in this study at all. If he needs to do his duty, then he can wait outside of my room and outside of our study.” Elsa titled her head back and nodded it in confirmation.

“Two.” Anna raised another finger. “I don’t need him to join me during breakfast, lunch or dinner. In fact, I’d prefer that he wouldn’t join me. Although, knowing that my parents will push for it, if he does join in for meals, he is not allowed to sit in your seat and must sit next to my mother.” Elsa only laughed at the request.

“Three.” She raised a third finger. “He’s not allowed to stay in your room. I don’t give a flying fuck if it’s down the hall from my bedroom, but he is not allowed to do so. He can stay in a guest room nearby but not in your room.”

Elsa’s blue eyes followed when the Princess raised up her pinky finger. “Four: Once he escorts me to my bedroom from the study, his duty is done for that day. I don’t care if it’s only early afternoon, but I don’t plan on leaving my room. I’d rather not be aware that he is still outside my door even though I’ve called in early for the day. My pathing that signals the end of the day for that week is when I go from the study to my bedroom. “

“You’re not skipping meals.” Elsa commanded. Anna only rolled her teal eyes.

“I will eat, okay? I’ll just have the workers bring up my meals to take into my room. Speaking of which, maybe add as a request that I don’t have to join my parents in every single meal for that week.” Elsa only sighed. _I guess I will be the mediator between this one and her parents._

Anna extended her bent thumb out. “Five: He will not initiate any conversation whatsoever. He will not speak a single word to me unless I speak to him first.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit too extreme?” Elsa reasoned. Anna shook her head, wiggling her thumb to emphasize the fifth request.

She replied confidently, “Nope, I don’t think so.”

“So, you’re just going to ignore him for the entire week?” Elsa raised her eyebrow at the girl. Anna nodded her head, all too quickly and eagerly at that.

“Yep! That sounds wonderful.”

“You can’t just ignore him for a week, Anna. That’s rude. Your parents are never going to agree to it.” Elsa scolded the girl.

Anna retreated both hands to herself, crossing her arms over her chest with a pout. “Then I won’t allow him to be my Protector.”

“Anna…”

“It’ll teach him discipline, won’t it? His job as my Protector is to protect me, not to befriend me.”

Elsa only winced slightly at those words, feeling the high that she had once felt from the girl five minutes ago plummet. When the redhead perceived her previous statement, her teal eyes widened, and her arms quickly unraveled from her chest to have both her hands reach forward to cup the older girl’s cheeks.

The Princess placed a reassuring kiss on Elsa’s forehead before having her own forehead rest against the latter’s. The pads of Anna’s thumb caressed the Protector’s soft, smooth skin. “You’re different, Elsa. You’re special to me.” Elsa felt the girl’s breath against her lips; therefore, causing the blonde to hold her breath, her azure, blue eyes losing itself in the aquamarine ones. Although, those blue eyes started to enter into a blank state.

_Discipline. Is that what I need? Spymaster Kallum has commented how I have too much discipline at times, but maybe she’s right. Maybe I’ve been getting too comfortable, maybe I have been acting and feeling this way because I lack discipline around Anna._

_Her father’s words echoed in her mind. “Sometimes, feelings, such as love, can blind you to make mistakes.”_

_Feelings such as love… It can blind you to make mistakes. My love for Anna has resulted in my mistake of losing my discipline, of having my duty be carelessly forgotten. How can I be so selfish?_

“Elsa, please stop worrying.” She heard Anna whimper. Snapping out of her daze, a tinge of blue was brought back to the older girl’s eyes. When she looked back at the teal irises, she noted how they were slightly watered, tears threatening to fall.

Anna pressed her forehead against Elsa’s again while Elsa sat there, stupefied at the unexpected countenance from the Princess. “You don’t need discipline, okay? If anything, you have too much of that. Also, Protector or not, I would still want you in my life as more than what your duty holds. I need you in my life, Elsa. I would think my life would be miserable if you were _only_ my Protector.”

Elsa cocked her head to the side, looking deeply into the redhead’s eyes as she wiped the first, lone tear that had escaped the caverns of her eyes. “Why did you feel the need to console me in that?”

“Because I worry about you sometimes. I don’t know what goes through that head of yours, and I don’t want you to ever think badly of yourself or of the situation.” The redhead in her lap continued to rub soothing circles on the Protector’s cheeks.

“You really think I have too much discipline at times?” she asked playfully. Anna only rolled her eyes, pinching the blonde’s cheek. Elsa slapped the Princess’s hand in retaliation.

“The amount of discipline you have is always excessive.” Anna pouted while Elsa only smugly smiled at her.

Elsa withdrew her hands from Anna’s face to wrap it securely around the redhead’s waist. “What were we talking about again?”

“Besides your excessive discipline?” Elsa rolled her eyes at the girl’s perseverance. “The requests that you’ll tell my parents about if Kristoff were to become my Protector for the week.”

“Why am I the one who has to talk to them about that?” Anna moved her hands away from the Elsa’s soft cheeks and brought it back to the nape of her neck.

“Because the only reason why he has to be my Protector is because you’re leaving. We wouldn’t be in this situation if you didn’t accept this mission from Spymaster Kallum.” Blue eyes narrowed at the younger girl. “But I support you in any way as long as you make it back here once it’s over. This mission will be good for you.” Anna followed up quickly.

“Fine. The only request that will be a problem is the last one.” Although Elsa was not fond of her brother’s ulterior motives that one day a month ago, she knew that communication is a required need. _It won’t be as important if nothing bad happens, but if the worst-case scenario does occur…_

Anna continued playing with the loose, stands of hair on the nape of Elsa’s neck. “Well then, what would you propose?”

“How about he has a pass where he can talk to you at least once a day? Although, if something urgent and dangerous does come up and he used that pass to talk to you, then he is not at fault.” Elsa suggested.

The Princess sighed, her nose scrunching upward for a brief second before her mouth opened, a reply about to be released when Elsa had cut her off quickly to add. “Just because he likes you doesn’t mean that you should treat him like the plague. You still need to hold a good relationship with him considering that he will be second in line as your Protector if I’m not around. You both were friends before, and who knows, maybe the conversations you have with him will give you the opportunity to drop hints about how you’re not interested. “

Anna closed her mouth, her eyebrows furrowing as she thought about her answer. Elsa tried to convince the girl by finishing her statement with a smile.

After a few minutes of Anna playing with the hairs on the nape of Elsa’s neck, and Elsa receiving goosebumps every so often when her soft fingers grazed a certain spot, the redhead sighed and nodded her head.

“Fine but I’m only doing this because you’re right.”

With a victorious smile, the blonde nodded her head. “Great, ok!” Her hands moved from Anna’s back to her waist. “Now if you’ll excuse me, if I recall correctly, I was fed to the sharks. I really should tend to the three of them now.”

Anna reciprocated a playful smile. “That is unfortunate indeed, but I wish the best of luck to you, noble knight.”

Elsa only chuckled before gesturing at the girl on her lap. Even though the Protector could have easily lifted the girl out of her lap, she didn’t want to unintentionally hurt her in the process.

Anna got the message, but she did not immediately get off of the older girl’s lap. Instead, Anna unraveled her hands from the nape of the Protector’s neck and placed her right hand against Elsa’s chest, right above her heart. The redhead leaned forward to peck the Protector’s cheek, her lips lingering about a centimeter above Elsa’s cheek after the peck for longer than usual. Elsa held her breath for the entirety of the time. She was also aware that the Princess probably felt her heartbeat quicken for a moment before it froze at the kiss.

“Come back soon.” Her voice had a certain edge that Elsa wasn’t familiar with. There have been occasions this past month that she had identified this tone of voice, but it wasn’t as prominent as it was just now. It sent shivers down the older girl’s spine. The Princess slipped off of the Protector’s lap, offering her a small smile and a hand.

Accepting the hand, Elsa was pulled up before she was gently pushed towards the direction of the door. The blonde only shook her head and chuckled at the Princess’s eagerness. Turning to give the young girl one last smile, the Protector made her way out of the study to find their parents.

* * *

The couple were laying on Elsa’s bed in their usual position. Anna was fiddling with Elsa’s free hand while the latter was caressing the former’s back. Typically, they would discuss about Elsa’s trainings and Anna’s day, but because Elsa was going on a mission tomorrow, her training was cancelled, enabling the Protector to stay by the Princess’s side.

“Father and mother agreed?” Anna asked from her position on the blonde’s chest.

“After much back and forth, yes they agreed. Although, it was a bit painful getting the butt of your mother’s yelling when I brought up how you won’t take all meals with them.”

Anna only laughed. “Yeah, she’s like that. My mother should know that I have already grown a habit of only eating if you’re around. And that is especially not going to change considering that you’ll be back, right?” the girl raised her head to get a better look at the Protector.

“Of course, I promised you I’ll make it back from the mission.” Elsa’s icy, blue eyes met her teal ones. Anna smiled up at the girl, and Elsa had to put all her energy in assuaging her heartrate.

“Okay!” the Princess maintained her smile that Elsa wished she could be the cause of all the time. The younger girl turned her attention back to the Protector’s hand, toying with her fingers. “Tell me a story.”

Elsa kept her gaze down at the girl, looking at her as if she was going to disappear in the next second. She felt like this every single night that they had sleepovers, which was six out of the seven nights after their argument. This entire month, besides the hellish trainings, felt like a dream to Elsa – to have the Princess almost always within arm’s reach, to have the opportunity to be graced by her sweet, innocent touches that set the Protector’s skin ablaze, to have the young girl’s undivided attention.

“Which one?” Because Elsa had training with Spymaster Kallum each day, the man was always more than happy to share one of his many stories, whether if it was regarding his personal life or his missions.

Over the course of the month, Spymaster Kallum has become one of the largest and influential figures in Elsa’s life. The once, cold-hearted man, although still cold-hearted and stoic to other people, became much more affable to his apprentice. The three of them were now on a first name basis, with the exception that Kallum had still addressed Elsa as kid. The addressing grew on the trainee overtime. Anna also came around to the man a week after their argument, when he sat the both of them down to tell them a story about his escort mission with a rich, nobleman that deemed his donkey was magical. Some of his stories seemed very realistic, while others seemed downright preposterous.

“I want to hear about the wind Sigil.”

Elsa recalls telling this story many times with Anna, whether if it was in their study, in the gardens (as they continued to do their daily routine of feeding the ducks) or in their current state. “Aren’t you sick of that story?”

Anna seemed appalled by Elsa’s assumption; her mouth opened quickly as she released an exaggerated gasp. “It’s a good story! Whether if it’s real or not that he has met them, it’s a pretty good story.”

Elsa only chuckled. “Fine, fine.”

The blonde started. “Eight autumns ago, there seemed to have been trouble brewing nearby Arendelle. During that time, large winds kept blowing throughout the region of Arendelle. It was a shock considering that Arendelle has never really experienced as malicious winds as those during that time.”

“That is true.” Anna piped in.

“Apparently, about a couple of hundreds of miles away from Arendelle, there was some sort of secret society that was plotting something wicked. The details aren’t precise, but if the society was not shut down, then it could lead to a cruel and destructive future, where all kingdoms would be dictated under a harsh ruler.”

Anna released an exaggerated and surprised gasp that was clearly faked. Elsa only chuckled, moving her hand that was on the Anna’s back to her sides, tickling her slightly. The Princess yelped before releasing a fit of giggles.

Elsa stopped her tickles, continuing the story. “It was during the dead of night when Spymaster Kallum was out, finishing his training for the day. The winds were harsh, but he was able to trudge his way back to his home. Although, he knew that he felt the presence of someone following him ever since he entered back into the city of Arendelle. When Kallum had arrived in one of the emptier alleys near his house, he halted his movement and told his follower to reveal themselves.”

“No one came out, but the wind continued blowing through the alleyways. Kallum took out two of his tiny daggers and threw it at the location that he felt the presence of the individual. The wind blew again, making his daggers slowdown in its speed before it hit the brick wall and fell to the ground. Kallum knew that the target moved and thought that it was pure luck for the wind to be on his perpetrator’s side.”

“Focusing on the wind patterns, he tried to aim his daggers again. Although, what he noted that was strange was when he threw his daggers this time, the wind immediately blew in the opposite direction and the daggers were suddenly being retaliated back at him. He dodged it quickly enough, but he knew that the unexpected wind in Arendelle could possibly not stem from a natural cause.”

“Kallum was never the type to believe in people with magical powers, but he has heard of people that hold such talents. It was known that the Sigils held these talents and used it well back then.”

_The Spymaster raised his hands in defeat and peace. “I won’t attack, but I know that you may be the cause of the unexpected wind in Arendelle. Please, I mean no harm, but there must be a reason why you are here.”_

_The wind continued to howl throughout the night. Kallum’s grey eyes tried to search for anything that could help him identify this person. The Spymaster reached into his pocket and took out metal, hand braces that were cushioned with Styrofoam. He took out two, metal keys and placed them on the ground, kicking it away. Kallum continued to put the hand braces that engulfed his entire hand until a click was heard. He was able to place the other one on with the assistance of his legs._

_“My hands are locked so that I can’t use them to throw any more of my daggers. The keys to unlock these braces are across the alley. I just want to know why you’re following me and what you want.” Kallum spoke calmly. Was this the stupidest decision he could have ever made? Possibly. Why would he let himself become vulnerable and open to someone that could possibly kill him with just a single sweep of wind?_

_But Kallum’s gut feeling knew that something was wrong._

_Someone had jumped from the top of the building, the wind seeming to have helped the individual smoothly glide down. The person wore a black cloak, the back of the cloak adorning a tree that had a background consisting of blue and orange stripes. The individual had a midnight, black epaulette on which was decorated with a rainbow-like jewel. Their face was hidden underneath their hood._

_“I need your help, Spymaster of Arendelle.” The individual said. Kallum looked at the man in confusion._

_“Well, before I can offer my help, I would first need to know who I’m helping and why.”_

_“I need you to help me stay hidden, please. I need to recover, and that is the reason why the winds are so treacherous in Arendelle. I promise you that I will explain further, but all I ask is for you to keep me hidden and give time to recover.”_

_“But who are you?” Kallum asked. The cloaked individual made his way over to the keys. Kallum noting how the figure seemed as if he was limping for it. When the cloaked figure retrieved the keys, he limped back to the Spymaster to unlock his own braces._

_The wind started whispering through the air, and Kallum’s eyes widened when he heard the reply through the wind._

_“I am a Sigil of Silva.”_

Elsa felt Anna’s face slightly contort when the girl released a small yawn against her chest. The blonde chuckled at the young girl. “Getting tired?”

Anna nodded her head. “Yes but continue the story.”

“Very well, your Highness.”

“Kallum had discovered the Wind Sigil of Silva. Underneath the cloak, the man had worn a mask that was decorated with wind symbols and the same, rainbow gems. The Sigil never took off his mask throughout his hiding and recovery stage at Kallum’s home. The Sigil only stayed for three days, but it seemed that Kallum and the Sigil had grown a liking to one another, sharing their own personal experiences and stories. Even though the Sigil had to restrain sharing certain details, Kallum was satisfied with learning more about the Sigil.”

“After three days, the winds of Arendelle came to a slow, calm. The Sigil thanked Kallum for his help and notified him that if he ever needed a personal favor, to write to the Wind Sigil personally by placing a piece of paper in a special bottle that he had given Kallum with an engraving of “KS”. The bottle looked like any ordinary bottle, with the exception of the rainbow jewel, but the Sigil had told him that it was a special bottle that represented high honor and respect. The Sigil told Kallum to drop it off at any open, body of water and that the Sigil should come in the span of a single day. The Sigil was thankful for Kallum’s help and notified him that he would swing by once every year at this time to simply spend a night with Kallum, considering that they grew close. The Sigil wanted to maintain a friendship with the Spymaster and Kallum happily reciprocated those feelings.”

Elsa felt the Anna’s breathing patterns shift to notice that the Princess had fallen asleep. Elsa smiled lovingly at the girl, placing a kiss on her forehead. _It’s too bad that the Sigil only visited for the first, two years before never coming back. No wonder why Kallum can seem like an emotionless individual at first; he built up walls because he made a friend that suddenly left him._

To know if that story was ever true or not would be unknown. Anna fully believed in Kallum’s entire story from the beginning to end, especially considering that Kallum has shown both of them the prized bottle. Yet, Elsa felt like it was only a tale that he had spun to teach Elsa a lesson about trying to get some rest: that even the best fighters need rest.

Elsa released a breath, looking up the ceiling and wishing that the night wouldn’t end. She wanted to stay like this forever: The Princess in her arms and all the dangers and responsibilities of the world beyond the door being nonexistent. She hated to admit it, but she was jealous. She was jealous that Kristoff was going to be playing Protector for the week. Elsa knew she had no right to be, considering that she had been Anna’s Protector for their entire lives, but she hated sharing the Princess.

And she was dreading coming back from her mission to only watch countless of noblemen and royals try to court the Princess during the Winter Solstice. Anna had discussed with the Protector two weeks ago that her parents were pushing for her to start looking out for suitors during the Winter Solstice. When Elsa had heard that, all she wanted to do was lock the two of them away from the world and tell each suitor knocking on the door to fuck off.

But she couldn’t. Elsa couldn’t do that because in the end, Anna was going to eventually fall in love. The girl has always been interested in the idea of love since she was eight years old, one of the many reasons why Elsa was also much more afraid for the weeks to come. She recalls the memory of when the Princess had brought up the notion when they were kids.

The Southern Isles royal family were one of the few kingdoms that was visiting Arendelle for a conference. Royal children were running around the castle, and although an eight-year-old Anna had stuck to Elsa like glue, she also remembers when Anna had to socially interact with the kids during Elsa’s trainings. Hans, a boy that was the same age as Kristoff during the time, was a name that was brought up when Elsa had asked Anna how her social events went. Although, Elsa had thought that the boy was more of a bother to Anna when the Princess described her experience.

Once she thought back on it again, she remembered a specific day where the children of the royal families were playing in the castle courtyard that was open to the public during the time. It was starting to snow. Elsa recalls walking through the castle doors, her cerulean eyes quickly scanning the sea of people to find the fiery, redhead. She was able to spot the girl chatting with a teenage boy and girl who seemed around the age of eighteen. The girl had brunette hair and striking brown eyes while the boy had short, snow-like hair and blue eyes as well.

When Anna had spotted Elsa at the doors of the castle, the young girl immediately ran to her friend, engulfing her into her tiny arms and placing a small kiss on Elsa’s cheek. Her red hair was covered in tiny snowflakes that Elsa couldn’t help but fluff away. Once the Princess had arrived, she started rambling on and on about love and the possibility of Elsa reading romance novels to her in the future. Elsa, surprised at the sudden inquiries, tried to answer the Princess’s enthusiastic questions to the best of her ability. Their moment seemed short-lived when the sideburns boy, Hans, had come to apologize for some odd reason and kindly asked the young Princess to play with him. Elsa only remembers waving Anna off to go, and Anna seeming to have done so. 

Elsa snapped back from the memory, her heart clenching when she thought about the Southern Isles Prince. _Could it have been possible that Anna had liked the boy? I mean, love would be too extreme considering that she had just met him._

_Wait, why am I getting jealous of a nine-year-old boy?_

The cogs in Elsa’s head started to turn; she felt her gut clench and a wave of nausea come over her. _His entire family is coming to the Winter Solstice, you idiot. You saw their name when you had to look through the lists of guests considering that you’re Anna’s Protector._

_What if he comes back and sweeps her off her feet again? What if she leaves?_

Elsa closed her eyes for a brief moment, activating the skills that she had incurred in training. Her mind and body started to slowly palliate until she felt calm and tranquil. Opening her eyes, the calm, serene blue looked down at the Princess.

“I love you, Anna.” _But you probably won’t ever feel the same way I do._ Her eyelids started to get heavy while her vision was beginning to blur from tiredness. The Protector closed her eyes, submitting herself to the comforts of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi :3  
> I really, really, REALLY appreciate all the support you've given! I know, I know, when is the ACTUAL plot line going to establish its presence? Err just kinda laying out the pieces, but it will be soon (which is very subjective, so maybe not soon? uhm... to each their own interpretation of soon.)  
> Thank youuuu again and another chapter should be posted in a couple of days!


	9. The Escort Mission

Elsa’s eyes fluttered open. She glanced at the clock to see that she still had about half an hour left before she had to go. The blonde stretched out her body, emitting a small yawn while she felt a weight shift on top of her. Blinking her eyes to unblur her vision, the Protector looked down for her cerulean to come into contact with the most precious thing on the planet.

Elsa ran a hand through the Princess’s unruly, auburn hair, hearing the sleeping girl release a soft hum in response. She didn’t want to leave, but she knew that Kallum and the party were expecting her to be down shortly. She already had her small bag packed with certain necessities that she required for the weeklong trip.

She needed to extract herself away from the sleeping beauty before she would regret her decision if she continued to still stay in bed. Elsa gently pried herself away from the young girl’s arms, softly placing them to the side before carefully sliding off of her bed. She walked over to her drawers to quickly change into her usual light blue long-sleeve and black tights.

Elsa continued her mission by going over to her small duffle bag, bending down and unzipping it open to triple check for the contents within. _Book, a couple of pairs of clothes, water bottle, matches, knife._ Her azure, blue eyes shifted to a small pocket within the bag, a small picture sticking out from the crevice. A pale hand reached forward to withdraw the photo.

It was a picture of the Princess that Elsa recalls taking. It was about a couple of weeks ago on the day after Thanksgiving. The pair was out in the town square at night, ice creams in hand while early, Christmas lights were strung up throughout the perimeter of the square. Anna was giggling in the picture, her teal eyes gazing deeply in the camera lenses with the colorful, fluorescent lights and the stars twinkling behind her.

The picture itself made Elsa’s heart rate pick up and a small smile arise on her lips. Keeping the photo in hand, the Protector zipped up the small bag before standing straight up. She walked over to her desk chair, grabbing the lightweight, long black coat that was given to her by Kallum two days ago. Placing the coat around her shoulder, the Protector took the photo and placed it in a pocket that was on the inside of her coat. She also grabbed a letter that was addressed to Anna in her hands.

Elsa proceeded to grabbing her small bag and slinging it over her shoulder. The blonde walked over to the side of the bed, placing the letter on the empty pillow next to Anna’s head. Elsa gently propped herself on one knee onto the bed and leaned forward to place a tender kiss on the sleeping girl’s forehead. Taking one last look at the girl she loves, Elsa pulled herself away from Anna and made her way towards her bedroom door.

“E-Elsa?” she heard her voice being called from behind as her hand turned the doorknob. The blonde turned around to see the auburn, frazzled haired girl sit up on bed, rubbing her eyes and releasing a small yawn.

“Yes?” the Princess created a ‘come here’ motion with her hand. Elsa obliged, walking back towards the bed with her bag still on her shoulder. When the blonde reached the side of the bed, the Princess continued with her hand motion until Elsa was leaning forward onto the bed, her upper half hovering over the bed and her legs pressed against the side of the mattress.

The redhead pulled the girl down, wrapping her arms around Elsa’s torso and shoving her face into the crook of the blonde’s neck. In automatic instinct, Elsa wrapped her own arms around the girl.

“Come back to me soon, okay?”

“I promise you I will.” Elsa replied. The two stayed like that in each other’s arms for the next five minutes. The smaller girl’s breathing started to become a bit shallower, a signal that the symptoms of sleep were still present in her body.

Anna pulled away with a bit of reluctance, placing a kiss on Elsa’s cheek. “I love you.”

Those eight letters and that simple, mere action made Elsa’s heart do backflips again. Anything that involved Anna always did, but this moment hit somewhat differently to the older girl. Maybe it was the way that Anna had said it, her voice genuine and pure, or maybe it was because Elsa would be gone for a week. Regardless, the Protector knew that this moment would be ingrained in her head throughout her entire mission. _Something that will give me that drive when things look bleak, as Kallum would say._

“I love you too.” And she meant it. Those words that she had said could be interpreted in many different ways, but all were applicable to this single moment. Elsa loves Anna as a friend, as a Protector, as a lover. All Elsa knew is that she just loves Anna.

The only light that radiated into the room was the light from the moon and the stars in the night sky. And for some coincidental reason that Elsa would mentally curse at later, the moonlight hit perfectly on the younger girl that was in her arms. Anna had a small, soft but sad smile on her face, her eyes soft probably from tiredness, sadness or maybe a mix of both.

One quick gaze at the Princess’s heart shaped lips was all it took for Elsa to know that she had lost this battle. She had lost the battle of control over her feelings for the longest time in her life; it’s just that it wasn’t until now that those feelings decided to take the reins.

Elsa wanted to lean in, she wanted to lean in and give the girl in her arms a kiss that would break any and all of the boundaries between them. She wanted to claim Anna as solely hers and make sure that the entire world knew it. _To hell with my father’s advice on separating Protector and Royal._

When Elsa noticed the quick glance that the redhead’s teal eyes had made to her lips, she felt a surge of hope ignite within her. She felt elevated. She felt as if the ideal future that she wanted could finally be possible. All she had to do was lean in.

Although, the technicalities of their current situation played in mind – it was not their roles, but the fact that Elsa would be gone for a week starting in a couple of minutes. She couldn’t be distracted about what transpired before the mission, and she couldn’t put Anna in that situation as well.

With a small but audible sigh, Elsa pulled away and gave Anna a comforting smile. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

Through the dimness of the room, Anna frowned as reality crept in regarding where Elsa was actually going and the duration of her absence. The Princess’s teal eyes came into contact with Elsa’s icy blue ones, and the Royal nodded her head. “You should go now before I stop you from doing so.”

They both had agreed that they would bid their farewells in the bedroom, considering that if Anna had said her goodbye at the gates of the castle, there would be a chance that Elsa wouldn’t be able to leave.

Plus, a one-on-one farewell was much more preferred, intimate and comfortable for the pair.

With a final kiss on the forehead by Elsa, the blonde retracted away from the bed and slowly made her way towards the door. She placed her hand on the doorknob, turning it and quietly swinging the door open. Stepping into the frame of the door, an internal battle played within the Protector. _Just… you have to go. Don’t turn back, but…_

Elsa turned her head to look behind her, clearly seeing the silhouette of the Princess in bed, but with the aid of her enhanced vision from training, she could distinct the younger girl’s features. Anna’s turquoise eyes were slightly watered, a hand clutching tightly onto the comforter that covered her body from the waist down. Her smile was small, melancholy, fractured but hopeful. And all Elsa wanted to do was drop her bag, turn around and join the young girl back into bed. It seemed that the younger girl knew Elsa’s hesitation, so she spoke up. “Come back soon.”

Her words only affirmed Elsa that she had to do this and that it was going to be okay. Nodding her head, Elsa turned to face forward before stepping out of the door frame and closing the door behind her. _No looking back, just look forward. The faster you finish this mission, the faster you’ll have her back in your arms._

Elsa walked down the cold, castle hallways with that goal ingrained in her mind.

* * *

When the young Protector reached the castle gates, she saw five guards. Spymaster Kallum appeared to be talking with someone who was in a carriage that was connected to two horses. The guards promptly bowed when they saw Elsa striding over, greeting the young Protector. A quizzical look clouded over Elsa’s countenance at the guards’ strange behavior.

Spymaster Kallum noticed the behavior and turned to make eye contact with the blonde. The Spymaster turned to say a few more words to the mysterious individual, probably a noble who needed to be escorted, before making his way towards Elsa.

Kallum made a hand motion that signaled for the guards to continue on with their business.

“Hey kid.” Kallum greeted. Elsa smiled at the man.

“Hey. What was that about?” Although Elsa may have been next in line to take her father’s role and is the Princess’s Protector, the guards never really treated her as a superior.

“Well, you are here to learn more about my duties. Typically, I am in charge when it comes to escort missions that I have to do, and because you are my apprentice, that makes you indirectly in charge as well. The guards will follow whatever you command.”

“Oh, I see. Well, are we all ready?” Elsa looked to see that there were five horses with saddles equipped and ready.

“Yep. Two of the guards will be outside of the cart that will be pulling along the person we will be escorting. There will be a guard on each side of the cart and one in the back. You will lead the pack while I will be the tail.”

“Great, let’s get going then.” Elsa said, walking over to a pure white horse that she had grown up with over the years. The horse, Blizzard, neighed, leaning its nuzzle against Elsa’s hand. The guards took the other brown horses while Kallum took his trusty stead: Dusk, a pitch-black horse.

The guards mounted their horses while Elsa stood at the front of the team, already on her own horse. When she evaluated that all of the guards were ready, she commanded them to follow. With that, Elsa lead the team out of the castle walls and towards the forest.

* * *

The mission was supposed to take three days to the destination and three days back, with a day in the middle as cushion, or for any unexpected, necessary rest. The party was traveling at night due to a storm raging in the early morning and afternoon. They should be arriving at the town that their noble needed to be dropped off at. A good indication that they were about three hours away by horse would be when they would pass a bar called the Artic Reef.

They had done so by approximately an hour before midnight. The Artic Reef was a popular bar that wanderers would stop at if they were going to or coming from city that the noble needed to be escorted to. Elsa never really understood why it was called the Artic Reef considering that it was in the middle of nowhere, only open grass plains and fields being visible by the naked eye from where they were located.

The group continued on. Two hours had elapsed since they had passed the Artic Reef. The party was still going strong thanks to the long rest that they had taken in the morning. All that was seen was plain, grassy fields, as expected. They had passed by at least four farms ever since the Artic Reef, but there didn’t seem to be any farms from what the eye can see. _We will mostly come up to another one shortly, and that should symbolize that we would be fifteen minutes away from our destination._

Elsa sighed, looking up to see the beautiful night sky with the full moon shining brightly upon them. There was never a second where Elsa hadn’t thought about the Princess. The Protector stuffed her hand inside her black coat, digging into a certain pocket as she pulled out the picture of Anna that she had always kept close to her.

There was never a single time that Elsa’s heart wouldn’t race when she pulled out the picture. The way those turquoise eyes would gaze into the camera and the smile that Elsa wished would never leave the girl’s lips always had the capability to take the Protector’s breath away. Elsa would always look back on the picture for a motivational push to get this mission over with. It helped the Protector sleep at night and continue over rough terrain.

Throughout their entire journey, the blonde had never stored the photo back into her bag. Looking back up at the night sky, Elsa wondered what the young girl was doing and if she was okay. _Are we looking at the stars at this instance?_ Possibly, possibly not. But at least they were looking at the same moon.

With a small, exhaled breath, Elsa placed the photo back into her coat pocket and continued to lead the party to the city. _The faster the noble gets there, the quicker I can get back to her._

Elsa’s blue eyes widened slightly as she pulled on Blizzard’s reigns, halting the horse from moving any further. The party followed in suit. Elsa held her hand up as a gesture for everyone to stay silent, her ears perking up to listen in on their surroundings. Her cerulean eyes hardened as it swept across the dark landscape, a hand on the hilt of her sword while the other was in one of the exteri0or pockets of her coat.

The girl withdrew her sword to instantly deflect a large dagger that was thrown her way. Elsa immediately pulled out a tiny, metal dagger from her coat and threw it to her left, hearing the sound of a thud heard followed by yelling coming from the opposite direction.

“They’ve got us surrounded. Whatever you do, protect the nobleman at all cost. Do not kill unless there is no other option.” Elsa told her team. The guards nodded, collapsing to coddle the cart that held the nobleman with their swords up. Elsa heard the sound of a horse’s gallop coming from behind.

“Kid, there seems to be about twenty enemies surrounding us.” Kallum reached into the pocket of his own identical coat to Elsa’s, taking out a metal shuriken and throwing it in the darkness with another thud being heard thereafter.

“Nineteen.” He corrected, taking out a large dagger from his belt to wield for defense. There was sounds of footsteps being heard in the distance with the addition of three horses. A loud sound of thunder rumbled in the clear, night sky.

Elsa glanced back at the guards to see that they were hugging the carriage. “Don’t hug the cart too close! Two of you – “Elsa’s eyes focused on the two that were sitting in the front of the carriage. “Get on the ground and stay close to the carriage. One of you three on the horses will also stay back to defend the noble. The other two will help fight, but don’t be too far if the others need back up.”

The guards followed Elsa’s instructions. Elsa dug into the coat of her pocket, throwing another metal dagger and hearing another thud. Kallum followed as well, another thud being heard in the distance that was nearing the party.

In the darkness, Elsa could see the crowd of enemies that were running at them. She noted that five of them were wearing metal armor. Nine of the enemies only wielded swords, running at them while the three on horses were trailing behind the crowd.

Elsa took notice of the position of the three enemies that had horses. They were in a pyramid formation: two of them were in front while one individual in the back. The two in the front wore the same armor as the enemies on the ground, with the exception that one had a spear while another had a sword. The last enemy in the back wore golden armor and had a sword in hand, the metal of the sword being a yellow color hue. _That must be the person in charge of this all._

They couldn’t be bandits. Bandits didn’t tend to have armor on them or horses. They could possibly be a traveling group, but why were they suddenly being ambushed?

Elsa continued throwing the metal daggers that Kallum had given to her, watching as four of the enemies without armor fell with a thud. Meanwhile, Kallum was throwing his classic, mini daggers at the armored men without horses, watching as three had fallen thanks to his precise aim.

The men came too close for Elsa to continue with her throwing. Kallum, experienced in only throwing mini daggers and regular daggers as his specialty, continued to swiftly move and throw his weapons. Those who were graced with the daggers or shuriken were only knocked out.

 _Twelve enemies left. Two armored, five unarmored and three on horses._ Elsa moved forward, her sword clashing against one of the armored enemy’s sword. The two guards followed in suit, but their focus was on cutting down the unarmored enemies. Meanwhile, Kallum was attempting to shoot down the rider in the front with the sword.

With effortless movements, Elsa was able to sustain against the two, armored enemies. She slid off of her horse, her feet kicking into one of the enemy’s head and knocking him unconscious. The other enemy lunged forward at her, his attack having an intent to kill.

Elsa blocked it quickly and jumped backwards to build distance between herself and the armored man. The cries of horses were being heard in the distance, and Elsa turned briefly to see that the enemy horses were cut down. The man with the sword had fallen and taken a dagger by Kallum to knock him out of the fight.

Elsa blocked another attack by the armored enemy, noting the positioning and grip of his sword. With a single swing upward, the sword was abandoned, and Elsa hit the hilt of her sword against the enemy’s head at a large enough force to ensure his unconsciousness.

Hearing a groan, the Protector immediately turned to see that one of the guards gripped onto his own shoulder, blood pouring out onto his armor. The other guard was busy fending off two of the five unarmored.

Elsa quickly hopped onto her horse and ran towards the guards. With another slide off of her horse, Elsa was able to knock out an enemy that had his sword high and ready to slash onto the wounded guard.

“Blizzard, take him away.” Elsa commanded. The guard barely hung onto the white horse, being dragged out of the fight.

“Kid, I’m going to need you to do something about the main guy soon.” Kallum yelled as he continued to throw his daggers at the spearman who was advancing at a much faster pace than the leader.

Elsa deflected the two enemies’ attacks with ease while her eyes quickly glanced at the distance between the leader and the party. The Protector heard a groan and noticed that the other guard had fallen. Two of the remaining, unarmored enemies were advancing onto him with their sword up, ready to execute.

Elsa had to act quick, and as if it was instinctual, she slid forward to knock one enemy to their feet and slashed her sword so that the other had to jump back in defense. The Protector stood on her feet, sword up while the four, unarmored men were advancing towards her. Elsa deflected and held her ground with three of the unarmored enemies. Although, she was too slow to catch the fourth enemy in a stance that was supposed to strike and kill her. Before she could deflect the upcoming attack, she saw a dagger quickly impale the enemy in the neck as they fell to the ground.

The Protector swiftly blocked the three attacks and noted how the leader was rapidly making his way over. The spearman had already advanced to Kallum, who was now dodging each attack with his footwork. Elsa blocked two of the attacks and knocked one of the enemies out with the hilt of her sword.

Suddenly, the force of two swords clashed against hers. She was able to hold her ground, but a strange feeling of shock and electricity stung her hands. In a blink of an eye, her sword was tossed into the air and slid ten feet away from the Protector. The two men raised their swords, ready to land a killing blow on the blonde. Through her peripherals, Elsa could see that the leader was advancing towards Kallum and the spearman.

She didn’t want to do this, she really did not want to do this, but she had to do it. She had to keep her promise.

Quickly digging into her black coat, Elsa withdrew two daggers and threw them at the enemies that were towering above her. She watched as they fell with a thud, the daggers penetrated into their necks.

Elsa hastily stood up and ran towards her sword before turning around and throwing a couple of mini daggers at the leader. The man turned to her, and Elsa could feel electricity run down her spine under the leader’s gaze. _I need to get this man as far away from everyone else as possible._

Elsa ran forward, her sword coming into contact with the leader’s sword. With a better look, she could see yellow eyes underneath the golden helmet. Elsa slid back and away from the party, the leader following her strides as well. _Just what I want._

The golden sword stood out in the night, and the wielder of the sword had some sort of intimidating air to him. The leader swung his sword at Elsa. The blonde quickly blocked the attack with her sword, but the clash of their swords sent an unfamiliar shock through Elsa’s body. Elsa jumped back, eyeing her enemy as he held his own sword up and waited for her to make a move.

_He has much more strength than me to the point where it sends shock waves through my body. The only thing I could do is counter with speed._

Elsa rushed forward to quickly jab her sword at the crevice in the right shoulder of the leader’s armor. The man quickly blocked it, sending another shock through Elsa before trying to slash against the girl again. Elsa noted how his movements were significantly slower than her own. With a swift block of her sword and the usual shock that coursed through her body, Elsa’s foot shot up to knock the leader’s jaw upward.

The leader’s golden helmet came off, unveiling a man with yellow irises and bright, blonde hair. The man looked at Elsa in shock, surprised at how quick his opponent was. There was now a bit more skin for Elsa to aim at.

The man lunged forward at Elsa with his yellow sword, but the Protector quickly dodged it before slamming her own sword against the small crevices that she spotted within his armor. The man released a groan when Elsa’s sword had precisely slid into the crevice of his armored shoulder.

The man slightly staggered at the attack. His yellow eyes looked down at the wound before looking up to come into contact with Elsa’s blue ones. The man raised his eyebrow at the Protector.

“Tell me, who are you working under and how can you do this? How are you still standing now?”

Elsa held her sword high, tightening the grip on the hilt of her sword. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The man pointed his yellow sword forward at Elsa. His yellow eyes brightened as he stared Elsa down. Elsa felt another shock run down her spine at the man’s gaze.

“This is what I’m talking about. How are you still standing and alive? And what did you do to my speed?” The man hissed. Elsa only cocked her head to the side, her sword still held high.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The man’s yellow eyes blazed with a fire as he rushed forward at a slightly faster speed. The Protector blocked the attack quickly before pushing the man away with her sword.

“I will end you.” The man said maniacally, his sword seeming to glow a bit more brightly in the night sky. Elsa stood her ground, sword in hand as the man lunged forward at her. Elsa continued to parry each and every attack, feeling shock and electricity run under her skin at each clash of their swords. In the midst of it all, Elsa was able to land another detrimental blow at the leader’s other shoulder. Although, she immediately felt a sharp pain to her side and realized that she didn’t move fast enough to dodge his attack.

Blood drew at the sharp cut on her side. Elsa’s released labored breaths, her body starting to become significantly drained after the cut. The man looked at her with wide, yellow eyes as if she was some sort of monstrosity.

“Y-You’re still alive?” the man howled in both anger and fear. Elsa only continued to focus on her breathing and the man in front of her. The man held his sword back and started to run towards the Protector who was standing in her place, catching her breath.

Once the man was in arm’s length, he positioned his sword so that he was ready to swing it downwards on the Protector. Elsa held her sword up, using all her energy to stay conscious from the sudden fatigue she incurred. As the blonde man’s sword came into contact with Elsa’s, she felt a course of electricity run through her body, followed by the sound of thunder and a flash of light encompassing the two.

Elsa’s vision started to blur. She felt the man’s sword come down harder against hers. She couldn’t lose this; she couldn’t die now. Elsa continued pushing her sword up against her enemy’s one, feeling the tension and electricity amplify within her.

“ _Promise me that you will come back from the mission alive and well?”_ The image of Anna flashed before her mind. The young girl’s hopeful, teal eyes flashed within Elsa’s mind. A memory of the two in their study entered into her mind and how Elsa would help her with her studies.

Another image flashed into her mind of Anna in her arms as they laid on Elsa’s bed, the two talking about everything and nothing while Anna played with her fingers.

The image of Anna in her bed, her auburn hair disheveled and the moonlight hitting her sorrowful eyes while Elsa looked at her from her bedroom door.

_“Come back to me soon, okay?”_

The last thing that Elsa heard was a thud nearby and Kallum’s voice before she blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for a late update! Been working again. Thanks again for reading :)


	10. The King's Request

Elsa could hear the sounds of soft hums from where she was located. With her eyes closed, the Protector can identify lights shining down into the room she was currently occupied in in. _Now it’s just the effort of actually opening my eyes._

She heard a quiet mumble in the distance, a voice that did not belong to any of the guards she was with or Spymaster Kallum. _Where am I? What’s happening?_

The Protector needed to open her eyes. She needed to force herself to wake up but could not do it.

“ – stay for a long time.” _Stay? Stay where?_

The image of Anna entered her mind. The young, jubilant girl giggled, her nose scrunched up and her freckles consolidating in suit. The redhead seemed to have been sitting on their bench in the town square of Arendelle.

_Arendelle… Anna. I need to get back to her, I need to…_

_“Come back to me soon, okay?”_

_“I promise you I will.”_

Elsa’s eyes immediately open to reveal her bright, blue eyes. The blonde quickly sat up, her chest instantly starting to heave as her lungs were quickly and deeply inhaling and exhaling oxygen. Her blue eyes swiftly scanned the room around her to note that she wasn’t in a familiar place. Elsa also noted that she was only wearing sports bra and black tights. Her black coat and long sleeve hung near the open window, the morning sunrays penetrating the room.

The door creaked open and Elsa turned to see Kallum standing there, a mug in one hand and his attire completely changed into a black, t-shirt and navy-blue shorts. It didn’t seem like he had much sleep, considering the way his eyes were slightly disorientated and the small bag under it. When his grey eyes came into contact with Elsa, relief immediately flooded through. “Kid, you’re awake.”

“How long have I been out for?” the man poked his head out the door to talk to someone for a brief second before turning his attention back to his apprentice.

“You’ve been out for sixteen hours. We’re in the city that we had to drop off the nobleman in. It’s 4 pm right now.” _Sixteen hours? That means that once night passes, we have to leave in the morning to still be on track._

“What happened?” A couple of knocks were heard at the door before one of the guards walked in, holding a tray of oatmeal and water. The guard greeted the young Protector before placing the tray on the bedside table and walking out of the room.

“That’s what I want to know, kid. One moment I’m cutting down the spearman, and the next, I see a huge flash of light coming from your fight followed by a loud crash. The next thing I see once the light dims is the guy is down and dead with a wound to his heart while you’re down with a wound to your side.” _A wound to his heart? But the last thing I remembered is only deflecting his attack…_

“I don’t know what happened…” Elsa replied somberly.

Kallum nodded his head, accepting that answer as an adequate one. “I’m just glad that you’re okay, kid.”

“How’s the rest of the guards?”

Kallum only chuckled at the Protector’s concern of other people. “They’re okay, don’t worry.”

_“Come back to me soon, okay?”_

“You’re saying that I’ve been knocked out for sixteen hours?” The Spymaster only nodded his head. Elsa sighed, looking at the man again to see that he had a cast on his left wrist.

Elsa gestured to the cast. “What happened there?”

“I had to deflect a killing blow from the spearman with my dagger. It’s worth the injury, considering what followed up was his demise.” Kallum modestly chuckled. Elsa only nodded her head, swinging her feet over the bed and causing the man’s eyes to widen in astonishment.

“Where do you think you’re going, kid?” Elsa only looked down at her stomach to see that it a white bandage wrapped around her torso.

“We should get going soon if we want to make it back to Arendelle on time.” Elsa commanded, walking over towards her long sleeve to discover that it was cleaned and dried.

“You need rest.” Kallum argued. Elsa only shook her head, slipping on her blue long sleeve. Her hand shot forward to feel the black coat Kallum had gifted her.

“No, I need to back in the castle before people start coming in for the Winter Solstice celebration. I’d rather rest where I can quickly come to aid instead of being days away.” The apprentice took the coat off of the hanger placed it on her shoulders. Shoving her hand into the inside pocket of her coat, she noted how the photo was missing.

“Looking for this?” Elsa quickly turned around to see Kallum holding up the photo that she was looking for. The man had a smug smirk on his face, knowing exactly where he found the photo and why.

Elsa’s eyes hardened. She marched over towards Kallum, reaching forward for the photo to only have him pull it away from her grasp.

“I’m only giving this back to you once you allow yourself to rest, kid. You still need to recover and traveling now will only make your wounds worse.”

Elsa’s jaw clenched and her eyes darkened into a shade of sapphire. “I prefer not to be late to the Solstice, Kallum. Besides, I will be fine.”

The man only sighed, shaking his head and pointing at the abandoned oatmeal and water on the table. “Eat first and get one night’s rest. If we leave by tomorrow morning, we will still make it back as scheduled.”

The blonde stayed silent, thousands of thoughts running through her head.

“Don’t you want to make it back to Anna, kid? We don’t know what’s beyond us once we leave this city. Yes, the leader is killed, but what if he was part of a bigger organization?”

Elsa released a breath, closing her eyes before running a hand through her very loose but intact braid. “Fine. We leave at early dawn tomorrow.”

Kallum nodded his head, a small, victorious smile made its way towards his lips. “Good. I’ll notify the guards, but you should get some rest kid.” Kallum placed the photo down next to the cup of water. “Your bag is at the end of the bed with all the daggers inside it. Your sword is also at the foot of the bed. Trust me, I didn’t intentionally dig through your coat for this photo, but we had to clean it considering that there was a blood stain.”

With that, Kallum walked towards the door to signal his departure. “See you tomorrow at dawn, kid. You fought hard and led well.”

When Kallum had left the room, Elsa released a groan, taking off her coat and hanging it back near the window. _At least I don’t have to travel with a wet coat._

The Protector made her way back towards the bed and looked at the bedside table. Instead of reaching for the water and oatmeal, she reached for the photo that was once in the Spymaster’s hands just mere minutes ago.

Elsa traced the photo gently, as if it would fall apart with even the slightest pressure. The organ in her chest continued with its daily routine schedule each time her eyes laid upon the girl in the photo. She sat down on the edge of the bed, a soft smile on her lips as she thought about the girl. _I’ll be back soon, I promise._

* * *

Elsa rode on Blizzard and continued to lead the guards through the forest. As planned, they had left at dawn and took an alternative route to avoid the area of the ambush. The party had the same amount of people and horses minus the carriage and the nobleman. They were in Arendelle territory now, about half an hour away from the Kingdom. The sun had set a couple of hours ago, but they had no difficulty navigating through the forest.

Elsa’s horse, Blizzard, suddenly stopped and only slightly reared itself back. The horse neighed, causing the rest of the horses behind to stop. Elsa patted the side of Blizzard’s head. “What’s wrong?”

Then she heard it. She heard it faintly, but she knew exactly why Blizzard had stopped in its tracks.

“Whatever you do, protect your horses. Do not run.” Elsa commanded, squinting into the dark forest to barely make out something in the darkness: eyes and teeth. _Wonderful, we have come across a pack of wolves._

The first wolf lunged itself forward from the darkness, its beady eyes focused on Elsa and Blizzard. Elsa quickly withdrew her sword and swung at it, causing the wolf to react by jumping backwards.

The growls of wolves started to strengthen, and the one defensive move that Elsa had done triggered the entire pack to attack in sync.

Everything seemed like a blur throughout the entire fight, and all Elsa could remember was hearing a few of the guards’ horses kick their owners off before running quickly into the forest. Some of the wolves followed, and as a result, Kallum’s grey eyes promptly came into contact with Elsa’s blue ones. The Spymaster proceeded to chase after the wolves and horses.

Understanding Kallum’s intentions, Elsa quickly slid off of Blizzard to fend off a wolf that was about to attack a guard that was horseless. Meanwhile, Blizzard held its own with the assistance of the two remaining guards who did have horses.

Elsa felt her side slightly tense in pain from the sudden movement, but she held her ground as she helped the fallen guards. Unfortunately, two of the guards were bitten by the wolves before Elsa could rush forward to help them. Elsa hastily reacted by stabbing one of the wolves in the gut. The wolf howled in pain, and all eyes were now on Elsa.

The Protector glanced at the bitten guards to see them applying pressure to their wounds. With a relieved sigh, Elsa started fighting off the wolves with the help of the other three guards. Another wolf yelped when Elsa stabbed it with her sword.

The wolves were relentless, advancing their way towards Elsa and baring their teeth. The blonde shoved her hands into her coat pocket and threw three daggers, each one puncturing a different wolf.

A large, silver wolf that was hit by the dagger released a long howl before scurrying into the depths of the forest. The rest of the wolves’ ears perked up before they followed the large wolf.

Shortly after, Kallum arrived back to the party without the horses. The Spymaster looked at the guards that were wounded before making eye contact with the Protector.

“The horses are fine, but we should get these guards back onto them and head towards the castle as soon as possible.” The other guards helped those injured by wrapping a gauze around their wounds.

Elsa only nodded her head, trying to regulate her breathing and tolerate the pain to her side. “You guys help the guards get back to their horses. I’ll get a head start down to Arendelle so that the infirmary will be ready to care for everyone.”

Kallum smiled in agreement before instructing one of the guards about the new plan. One of the injured guards hopped onto Kallum’s horse.

Elsa called for Blizzard, and the white, majestic horse galloped over to its rider. Elsa hopped onto the horse, nodding her head at Kallum one more time before speeding away towards Arendelle.

The Protector advanced towards Arendelle, with each gallop that Blizzard had made, she felt her side continue to clench. Gritting her teeth in frustration and pain, Elsa continued to make Blizzard gallop at a faster pace. _I have to get the infirmary ready for everyone as soon as possible. I can’t let them down._

Eventually, Elsa could see the castle within the horizon. The blonde applied gentle pressure to the side of Blizzard, signaling for the horse to speed up.

When Elsa was approaching the gates of the castle, she heard yelling coming from behind the gates followed by the metal bars slowly opening. Once she arrived within the castle, she commanded for someone to prepare the infirmary for the rest of the party.

“Treat the guards and Spymaster Kallum first. They will be here shortly. Is there anything that I may need to grab to help?” Elsa hopped off of Blizzard and allowed one of the workers to take her horse back to the stables.

“No, it’s fine Miss Elsa. The infirmary is being assembled right now. I’ll go down to help prepare while the nurses out here will escort the party down.” The head nurse said, bowing her head and heading into the castle.

The sounds of hooves against concrete was heard in the distance, signaling the arrival of the Spymaster and the guards.

“Elsa!” the blonde heard that angelic voice that she was craving to hear for a week. The Protector quickly turned around to see the young Princess running towards her, her feet only covered in sandals while her thin, green night gown seemed to be the the only source of warmth for the younger girl.

She felt those arms securely wrap around her shoulders, and as if it was the most natural thing to do, Elsa wrapped her own arms around the girl’s tiny waist.

“I missed you so much.” The Princess mumbled, shoving her face into the crook of Elsa’s neck. Elsa stayed in the girl’s embrace; her nostrils immediately picked up on Anna’s scent that she oh so dearly missed.

“I missed you too.” The Protector felt the girl’s bare arms and came to a realization that the young Princess must have ran directly from her room when she heard the commotion occur. Elsa attempted to pull away after realizing that the Princess was in her nightgown, but the Princess kept her strong hold on the elder.

“I am not letting you go!” Anna stubbornly said.

Elsa tugged the girl’s arms away, but Anna still did not budge. “Anna you’re going to get a cold being out here like this.” She was finally able to pry herself away from the young girl. Elsa took off her coat and wrapped it around the Princess’s shoulders.

“There, that’s better.” Elsa softly smiled. Anna looked up, her teal eyes glistening under the night sky. Although, this look was different from the one in the photo that Elsa always held close to her. The one is the photo was eyes full of joy and laughter, carefree of the world beyond them. The eyes that were currently staring up at Elsa were tender, zealous and soft. With her hands still on the lapels of the coat, Elsa could simply pull the girl into a searing kiss, sort of like a cliché move.

“Princess Anna!” Elsa’s eyes shot up to see Kristoff jogging towards them, slightly out of breath while the girl in front of her tensed, something which only Elsa noticed.

“Oh. Elsa, you’re back.” Kristoff said with his brown eyes wide. Before Elsa could speak, the sound of hooves against concrete increased in volume. Elsa released the lapels of her coat and turned around to see Kallum and the guards arriving through the front gate.

“Someone, please tend to them.” Elsa commanded. The young Protector rushed forward to help a couple of guards that were injured from the wolves. The workers took in those guards while other workers aided the rest. Kallum gently hopped off of his horse, turning towards his apprentice with a scowl.

“You should get yourself checked, kid.” the Spymaster spoke, but it was not loud enough to capture the Princess’s attention, who was currently in an intense conversation with Kristoff.

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” Elsa waved off. She grabbed the leads of three of the horses. Three other workers grabbed the leads of the other three horses. Elsa turned to the last worker. “Can you please escort Spymaster Kallum to the infirmary to make sure that he is well?” Elsa asked. The worker only nodded his head quickly before gesturing for the older man to follow his lead.

Kallum’s grey eyes narrowed at the Protector, who only shook her head. “I’ll get checked on once I take these horses back to the stables, okay?”

Kallum only sighed, shaking his head before turning to follow the worker. He knew how stubborn the Protector could be, but at least she was willing to get herself checked out once she led the horses back.

Elsa quickly slipped away from the courtyard, leading the horses back to the stables. The workers quickly followed in suit. When the stables were in sight, two of the horses started to neigh loudly. Elsa turned around to notice that two of the workers were having trouble with their horses. The blonde quickly made her way towards them, trying to help tame the horses as they reared on their hind legs.

She felt a sudden, sharp pain to her side in an attempt to help tame the horses. Ignoring it, the Protector promptly calmed down the horses before turning towards the workers, who were staring at Elsa with wide eyes.

Elsa tilted her head to the side in confusion. The Protector opened her mouth, about to speak when she felt the sharp pain again at her side. Looking down, she noticed how the entire area was doused in her own blood. Black splotches started to surround her vision, and unforeseen nausea crept into Elsa’s system.

The Protector heard a cry for help before she felt her body fall into the depths of darkness.

* * *

The Protector heard an argument ensue next to her. Their voices were hushed but audible.

“You need to eat.” Elsa recognized the voice belonging to her younger brother.

“I’m fine, Kristoff. Leave me alone.” She heard the soft but irritated tone of the Princess. Elsa started feeling warmth engulf her right hand. Her senses were kicking in. Now, it was just the matter of opening her eyes.

“Anna…” Kristoff’s voice trailed.

“Leave, Kristoff. Now.”

The sound of a huff was heard followed by a door being creaked open and closed. Elsa felt a soft pair of lips against the back of her hand that was enveloped in warmth.

“Elsa, wake up please. Everyone is coming tomorrow, and I need you.”

_Everyone is coming tomorrow? The Winter Solstice…That means I was out for two days._

“I can’t lose you now that I just got you back.” Her voice was fragile, leaking vulnerability.

_Come on, open your eyes._

“Elsa, please.” Elsa felt wetness on the back of her hand, being the trigger to finally flutter her eyes open.

Elsa noted the white walls and the multiple, empty beds that were also in the room she currently resided in. The smell of medicine wafted in the air. _I must be in the infirmary._

Her blue eyes shifted to her right to see the redhead sitting on the chair, her hair in twin braids and Elsa’s black coat still draped over her shoulders. Instead of the green night gown that Elsa had seen her wear the night they arrived back in the castle, the Princess was wearing one of Elsa’s oversized shirts.

Anna was looking down, eyes shut and tears slowly streaming down her cheeks. Elsa squeezed the Princess’s clasped hand. “Anna.”

The teal irises were abruptly revealed. With tears still streaming down the Princess’s cheeks, Elsa reached over with her other hand to wipe them away.

“Yo-You’re awake?” She squeaked. Elsa softly smiled at the girl, reaching over to tuck an auburn lock behind her ear.

“I’m here, Anna.” The young girl lunged herself forward to wrap her arms around the blonde. Elsa chuckled, wrapping her right arm around the Princess as she settled herself onto Elsa’s unwounded side. “I’m okay. I’m here for you.”

The girl continued to sob into Elsa’s neck while the older girl whispered words of comfort in her ear.

Eventually, Anna’s sobs subsided, and Elsa realized that the girl had soon fallen asleep in her arms. Elsa laid there, wondering how much hours of sleep the younger girl had received and if she did ever eat anything. She was out for two days, after all, and it seemed that Anna quickly fell into a deep sleep once Elsa had awoken.

In the midst of her thoughts, Elsa heard the door open. Casting a look over, she saw the King, Queen and her father walk in. Queen Iduna had relief sweep over her features as soon as she noticed that her daughter was sleeping. The Royals and her father approached the couple lying in bed.

“Elsa, you’re awake.” Her father noted with a proud smile. Elsa nodded her head, her arms still wrapped securely around the Princess.

The King spoke up. “You were out for two days.”

The Queen released a relaxed sigh. “Anna hasn’t left your side ever since you passed out the night you came back. She has barely eaten and slept.”

“I’m sorry that my mishap has brought detriment to your daughter’s well-being.” Elsa said authentically. The Protector looked down at the Princess to get a better look at her. She noted how she had heavy bags under her eyes, and how her frame under the feel of her arms seemed a bit more fragile.

The King only chuckled. “That’s not a problem, Elsa. It just shows how strong your bond is to one another. I’m glad that she is finally catching up on her sleep.”

“Did she just...?” the Queen reticently asked

“Yeah, I just came back into consciousness about ten minutes ago. Exhaustion seemed to have finally taken over mere minutes ago.” Elsa kept her eyes down at the young girl, her heart feeling heavy at the fact that her recklessness affected Anna’s well-being.

“Good, because we need to discuss some things with you.” Elsa’s father said.

Queen Iduna nodded her head and sat on the chair that was once occupied by her daughter. “It’s much preferred if the Princess doesn’t hear about this. We also ask that you do not bring this up to the Princess as well.”

King Agnarr stood next to the Queen, looking down at the two girls with sympathetic eyes. Elsa felt chills run down her spine, feeling an ominous tension in the air.

“Elsa, we will need you to cut off ties with Princess Anna and avoid her until the Winter Solstice Celebration is over.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again! I'm thinking about changing the summary of the story (nothing is going to change about the story based on the current summary, but it's just that from the start, we don't really get that do we haha)  
> I've been thinking and getting ahead in writing multiple chapters for this prior to having this story published (hence, the frequent updates) and I just finished writing the introduction to the actual summary and well.. its kinda long from now haha. I probably will tbh, but just a heads up.


	11. Avoidance and Fragility

The blonde continued to punch the sack that swung perilously in the air, being supported by a chain that was hooked onto a tree in the clearing of the forest. Elsa would throw two quick and hard punches before swiftly sliding to the side or ducking then sliding to the side. She continued with her aggressive punches and rapid movements.

_Stupid fucking feelings._

Elsa threw two more hard punches at the bag and ducked.

_Stupid Princes._

She threw a couple more brutal punches before sliding the opposite direction.

_Stupid Winter Solstice._

The next punches that Elsa had thrown caused the bag to treacherously swing back and forth. The Protector slid to the right and continued.

_And Kristoff continues his Protector duties even though it’s so obvious that he has feelings for the girl!_

“Damnit kid! That’s the third chain and bag that you broke.” Kallum hissed, walking over towards his apprentice. Elsa snapped out of her rampage to notice that the bag of sand had exploded on the ground, and the chain was broken before her eyes.

“As much as I would be ecstatic that you’re improving in strength, I can also tell when this strength is being derived from pure anger.” Kallum bent down to pick up the broken chain, only to find that the damage was irreversible. “Thank goodness that our trainings are temporarily moved out here or else you could have probably broken a few of the wooden beams in the training room."

Elsa released a small sigh, running a hand through her loose braid. “I’m sorry.”

Kallum stood back up to face his apprentice, a sympathetic smile was all that the man provided to make the younger girl tense. “This situation is really shitty, kid. At least you have about a week left, right?”

The Protector sighed, leaning her body against the tree as her eyes focused onto the river. The past week was literal hell for the girl, and just remembering the reasoning behind the demand made her jaw clench.

_“Elsa, we will need you to cut off ties with Princess Anna and avoid her until the Winter Solstice is over.”_

_Elsa’s heart stopped when she heard the demand that the King had presented before her. She must be dreaming, she had to be dreaming. There was no way that this was all happening, and there shouldn’t be a reason why this request was made._

_The Queen sighed sadly. “Anna has grown quite fond and attached to you, Elsa. She’s already fifteen and has not once wrote back to any of the Princes or Nobles that have wished to court her over the years. When you were both young, the girl was attached to you by the hip. We need her to be open and available to potential suitors soon, and the only way to do so is for her to socialize with them… without you.”_

_Elsa stayed mute. It didn’t surprise her that Princes and Nobles showed interest, but what did was the fact that the young girl never wrote back to them. She was smitten about the idea of love at the age of eight, so why didn’t she take the opportunity when she was given multiple chances to?_

_Elsa wanted to hear what they had to say, and she also didn’t really know what to say._

_The King took over the conversation from there. “We’re not saying that you’re a bad influence on her or anything, Elsa. We’re just saying that she has grown attached to you to the point where she doesn’t feel the need to talk with any other person her age. Once she becomes Queen, the Kingdom will expect her to be wedded to someone else. This has been delayed for quite too long, and the Winter Solstice is the perfect opportunity for her to meet potential suitors, having the opportunity to be courted.”_

_Her father chimed in. “Kristoff will be taking over your Protector duties for the next two weeks. You will still help protect the Kingdom and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity, but you will avoid Princess Anna at all cost. You also need to recover from your wound anyways. This is what will be best for her, Elsa.”_

_After digesting the information for a silent minute, the blonde looked up and spoke her thoughts. “She won’t allow this…you both know that as her parents, right? Even if I try to avoid her, she will find ways to confront me.”_

_King Agnarr nodded his head. “We do. When you were gone for your weeklong mission, our daughter has not slept in her room once. She slept and stayed in your room for the entirety of your absence. We foresee that she will go by ends to try and confront you at the end of night, beginning of day and around the times of your trainings; therefore, there will be some adjustments that you would have to take in order to see this plan through.”_

_“And what are those adjustments?”_

_The King continued. “Each day throughout the celebration, we will have to tend to certain social gatherings during lunch and supper. My daughter will not be near your room during that time, giving you the freedom to grab whatever you may need. In regard to your sleeping arrangements, you will be staying in a guest room that is on the opposite side of the castle where some of our guests will be staying. Furthermore, you will be given a schedule each day regarding Anna’s whereabouts in order to accordingly plan to avoid those areas. Finally, your trainings will not be held inside the training room for the next two weeks. I have already discussed the details with Spymaster Kallum.”_

_Elsa released a frustrated breath, looking down at the sleeping girl in her arms. She just got her back, damnit._

_“Elsa.” She heard her father’s chided. Her blue eyes looked back up to see her father’s, identical blue eyes reflecting the look of admonishment and disappointment._

_“Fine. I’m assuming that because the Solstice celebration commences tomorrow that this will be effective immediately?” Elsa’s voice was stone cold._

_The King sympathetically smiled and nodded his head. “Yes, this is effective immediately.”_

_“I’ll take the Princess back up to her room before I grab some of my things and head to the guest room if that is okay.” The Protector asked. The King opened his mouth, about to spit out a reply when the Queen had beat him to it._

_“Of course, Elsa. Please take as long as you need.” The King closed his mouth while the Queen shot him a glare._

_“Very well, thank you.” Elsa curtly said. Queen Iduna stood up, gesturing for her husband and Elsa’s father to follow her out of the infirmary._

“Kid, let’s get back to the castle so you can grab some of your stuff from your room.” Kallum said, snapping Elsa out of her thoughts once more. She did that more often now; she would just fall into the clutches of her thoughts a plethora of times throughout the day.

Elsa only sighed, nodding her head and following Kallum out of the forest and towards the castle. By the time the two had arrived at the gates, the courtyard was clear of any visitors because of a luncheon that was occurring in the dining hall.

“Don’t overwork yourself, got it?” Kallum knew that with the copious downtime Elsa had, the girl tended to continue her own, personal training.

“Don’t worry, I won’t. I think I’ll just stay in for the remainder of the day.” Satisfied with the reply, Kallum departed away from his trainee.

With a small breath, Elsa made her way into the castle and towards the room. When the blonde opened the door to her room, she noticed the messy, rumpled bedsheets and her large shirt tossed carelessly on her used pillows.

As the King had predicted, Anna continued to spend her nights in Elsa’s room in hopes that she would see her again. In the past week, there were only two occurrences where Elsa had encountered the redhead. Thankfully, the first time was only one-sided while the second time was with a crowd full of people. Elsa was able to quickly escape out of the room before Anna could make a double take.

Elsa felt ambiguous, mixed feelings about the entire situation. She felt elated and pleasantly reassured that the young redhead missed her as much as she did. Knowing that the younger girl slept in her room every night casted a wave of relief over her entire body.

Although, the typical wet spots on the pillows was what tugged at the Protector’s heart strings. She knew that those wet spots weren’t from the Princess’s drool. The blonde’s suspicious were only confirmed on the second night of the celebration. Elsa couldn’t stand being away from the Princess, and so by instinct, one late night, her feet carried her from her temporary bedroom to her actual bedroom. She would raise her hand at the door, trying to build up the courage to just knock.

Before she could even proceed, the fact that the King had basically commanded her to stay away was what prevented her from going forward with what her heart desired. On top of that, her father’s disappointed look at Elsa’s hesitancy was only what re-affirmed that what she was doing could potentially hurt everyone. The blonde’s insecurities of losing the girl to another would gnaw within her, especially at the fact that she only had realized how fast time had caught up onto her tail.

That same night that she had decided to visit the Princess, that one night where her hand was hovering over her own bedroom door, was when she heard faint sounds within the room. The faint sounds caused Elsa to feel like a knife was driving deeper and deeper into her heart at a rapid but vigorous pace. She heard the muffled sobs within her room, and all she wanted to do at that second was yank the door open, run to the girl and whisper apology after apology to her. All she wanted to do was rewind time, going back to how they were before she had left for the mission.

Then, her mind would wander back to the King’s words, to her father’s look of disappointment and the Queen’s somewhat pleading eyes. Her thoughts would revert back to what she had told herself when she first realized that she was in love with the Princess. It was bound to happen; The only difference was that the King and Queen had spared her the pain from watching on the sidelines. Instead, Kristoff had to endure through it.

Every night moving forward, Elsa would sneak out of her room during unconventional hours of the night. Her feet would carry her to her room, where she would stand right outside the door. She would hear Anna’s sobs each and every night, but she never did anything about it. She just stood there, her head softly pressed against the hard wood and her heart clenching each time she heard the girl’s sob escalate in volume.

It was the type of self-inflicting pain that Elsa decided to want to endure each and every night. She didn’t know why, but she just felt the need to be near Anna, even if it meant being unknowingly outside.

Elsa has been able to endure any pain. Pain from her training, pain from her fight with that leader, pain from harsh words and criticism. Nothing ever broke her down, nothing ever hurt her or made her come to tears.

All except for the girl that was currently residing in her bedroom each and every night.

The blonde walked over to her drawers and picked up a couple pairs of underwear, another long sleeve shirt and black tights to bring back to the guest room which she was going to be residing in for another week. Once accomplished, Elsa slipped out of her room and looked down the hall to notice that it was still empty.

Deciding that she needed some form of entertainment, Elsa navigated her way to a specific part in the East Wing of the castle. She walked down a familiar route until she reached a door that always held sweet memories. Swinging the door open, Elsa walked into Anna’s study. _I just need to grab a couple of books to occupy my time for tonight._

Elsa noted how the bean bags in the corner seemed to have been untouched. The girl’s table still had clutters of paperwork and books. She looked at the chair that seemed to have been unoccupied for the day. _The last time I was in here was before the mission._

Memories flooded within Elsa’s mind about the time they had spent in this exact room. Her eyes shifted towards the bookshelves behind the chair. At the start of entering the study, Elsa would always walk towards the bookshelf to grab any books that Anna needed for the day. Elsa would then proceed to finding her own novel while Anna would prepare her workstation. She recalls an action Anna would always do each time Elsa was searching for a new book to read.

_Being the meticulous and overly organized girl that she was, Elsa skimmed through the spines of the book that were organized in alphabetical order by last name. Anna’s books eventually worked their way into the mix; therefore, the blonde would always locate the girl’s books first and hand it to her before trying to navigate through the shelves for her own book. The two would always switch out certain books on a weekly basis, only keeping Anna’s necessary workbooks and their favorite or notable novels._

_Once Elsa had handed Anna her books, the Protector went back to browsing the bookshelves for her own novel while the sounds of rustling paper and drawers opening were heard behind her, signaling that the Princess was preparing her workstation._

_A pair of arms gently wrapped around Elsa’s waist, and the older girl felt a chin resting on the top of her shoulder. The sound of a hum followed. “What book are we thinking of reading today?”_

_“We?” Elsa teased, her eyes still scanning over the books._

_“Yes, we. We finished that one book yesterday, so we should start on a new one today.”_

_Elsa’s fingers danced over a spine on a blue book. “Don’t you have your studies to work on, Anna?”_

_“Nope. We read first and then you help me with my studies after.” Elsa’s fingers steadily pulled the book out. The Princess still maintained her position and hold on the Protector._

_“Well, if we must read, then you have to let me go.”_

_Anna giggled. “I thought you promised that you’ll be stuck with me. Besides, I’m never letting you go; I like holding you like this.”_

With a small sigh, Elsa looked away from the bookshelves. As a result, her eyes landed on the unoccupied beanbags. Elsa remembered how she would always settle herself there first with a book in hand. Anna would always saunter her way towards her and perch herself on the girl’s lap, depositing her head on Elsa’s shoulder and wanting the girl to read. The two would always enter into some sort of playful banter between working on studies and reading. Eventually, it would lead to the Princess taking the Protector’s hand for the two of them to work at the desk.

Elsa’s eyes took a precarious look to the unoccupied chair. It was another driving point to her heart. It was odd how she had never stepped foot in their study for the past two weeks; everything was so rushed that the Protector didn’t have time to realize what she was losing. Elsa missed how the two would sit on the chair, or more like Elsa sitting while Anna would perch herself on top of the older girl’s lap, and simply study Royal duties and information together.

The Protector craved those moments back. She craved to have her arms wrapped around Anna, pointing at certain texts and readings while quizzing her on content that was listed in previous pages. She would miss seeing the Princess up close, how her eyebrows would furrow when she didn’t understand something, or how she would bite her bottom lip, contemplating how to word an answer to a question.

Elsa would miss how the Princess would lean her body back into hers, Anna’s head resting against her shoulder when she needed a small break from their studies. She would miss how they would sit in the chair and watch the sunset through the balcony door before they had to go down for supper. She missed when Anna would intertwine their fingers together during those breaks.

_God, I am absolutely fucked._

The frustrating situation has also gotten Elsa to cuss a bit more than usual, something that was unconventional for the Protector, who was known to be reserved and put-together.

This room was only a poignant reminder, and she needed to get out of there soon. With a small sigh, Elsa made her way towards the bookshelves to pick out a couple of books. What the Protector did not expect was the fact that all of the books that she had browsed through was in alphabetical order by last name. _Anna was never the type to organize the bookshelf this way. The young girl would typically place the book back in any, open place._

It hurt even more to know that Anna was organizing it in this manner because it peeved Elsa to ends if the books were not organized in alphabetical order by last name. Deciding that she needed to leave before bearing anymore pain to the organ in her chest, Elsa quickly grabbed two books.

The blonde meant to leave right away, but her eyes couldn’t help but quickly gaze at the contents on the table, wondering what the Princess was currently learning in her studies. Although, Elsa recognized a couple of pieces of paper that had adorned her own handwriting. Taking a quick look over, she noticed how it was her weekly letters that she had promised the young girl. _Shit, I have to write this week’s letter, but how am I going to give it to her?_

Elsa grabbed a few pieces of paper and a pen from the study before hastily making her way to the door. Swinging the door open, the Protector’s blue eyes widened when she came face to face with the girl that seemed to have invaded her thoughts 24/7.

Anna stood in front of Elsa, her arms to the side, mouth agape and teal eyes widen to the size of moons. The young girl had her auburn hair in a messy bun and wore a long, grassy green dress that reached down to her ankles. She also wore green flats to follow the color scheme of her dress. Elsa could distinct the bags under Anna’s eyes, even with the heavy amount of make-up that she wore. It didn’t look like she was eating well either, her features paler than usual and her body slim and frail.

Even at her worse, Anna still had the capability to take Elsa’s breath away.

Before Elsa could even react and allow her rationality to kick in, Anna lunged forward to wrap her arms around the Protector, her face immediately finding its rightful place in the crook of Elsa’s neck. On impact, Elsa felt the wetness on her neck.

Anna released a loud sob, causing Elsa to switch to her “comfort the Princess” mode. Although, before Elsa could wrap her arms around the younger girl’s waist, her cerulean looked up to be met with a shocked Kristoff. Being a bit more aware of her surroundings, Elsa realized that the sounds of footsteps down the hall was increasing in volume with each passing second. Slightly turning her head, Elsa noticed the King advancing his way towards the pair.

Elsa stood there, frozen in place with her arms up in midair, but not wrapped around the young girl. Her heart raced against her chest and her mind went into overload. A part of her screamed at her to give zero fucks about the order she was placed under. The same part wanted to turn to the entire world, yelling at all of them to “Fuck off” while stealing the Princess away to a place where it could just be them. She wanted to comfort the girl in her arms, promising her that she would never leave her and explain to her why she was behaving this way.

Nevertheless, the King was approaching fast and sending Elsa an apologetic and sympathetic look. Every ounce of her wanted to tell the King that she would refuse his order and that she didn’t care about his demand. She wanted to be selfish and steal the girl in her arms away.

Then, realization settled that she couldn’t be selfish. Elsa couldn’t be selfish with the young girl in front of her, regardless of how Anna was the only thing that Elsa really wanted in life. The Protector never asked for much, always living day by day following orders and being bred to basically become a weapon. She complied with each and every request, and the one thing that she wanted, the one thing that she finally requested for, couldn’t be given to her.

It hurt. _It really fucking hurt._ This is what will be best for everyone and everything. Arendelle will continue on with Queen Anna and have great ties with whatever noble or Prince she decides to marry. People wouldn’t have to worry about the young girl not having potential suitors. Anna would finally deserve and receive the type of love that she had craved for since she was eight years old; she would have the opportunity to find and receive the romantic, fairytale and whimsical love that she always dreamed of.

And Elsa couldn’t get in the way of that.

She knew how disappointed Kallum was going to be when he discovered what she was about to do, but that seemed like a later problem. Closing her eyes, Elsa inhaled a deep breath, catching the strawberry scent of the Princess that clung onto her.

_Conceal and don’t fucking feel._

When Elsa opened her eyes, they were blank. Her once, bright blue eyes were now a dark, dull sapphire. All feeling and emotion left her body, and her heart that was once racing came to an immediate halt. When the older girl casted a look at her younger brother, his brown eyes widened in both fear and shock.

_Perfect._

Elsa took Anna’s arms that were wrapped around her torso and pried them off of her. The Protector immediately stepped back from the Princess. Anna looked up at the girl, her teal- green eyes filled with tears and starting to puff in redness. Meanwhile, Elsa’s blue ones stayed blank, dull and cold. The older girl’s countenance emitted no emotion, and without even saying a single word, she brushed past Anna and started walking down the hall.

When her stone, cold blue eyes came into contact with King Agnarr’s green ones, even he froze in his place. The sight of the Protector’s cold eyes before him could freeze anyone else up. Elsa continued on, passing the King and refusing to say a single word or convey a single emotion. Now, she was an ice cold and hollow being. She needed to be that, for the sake of the Princess.

Suddenly, a hand wrapped around Elsa’s wrist, causing the girl to be forcibly stopped in her movements. Without turning around, she heard the unsteady breathing of her culprit.

The small, broken voice quivered. “Why are you ignoring me? Did I do something wrong?”

And Elsa was thankful that she wasn’t facing the girl in that moment. It was already hard enough to walk away from her earlier, and she knew that if she was looking into those fractured teal-green eyes that the façade Elsa was putting up would be disheartened.

She needed to leave, and she needed to leave now.

The blonde yanked her wrist away from the girl. She knew that it wouldn’t be wise to say anything, and so, Elsa simply walked away. Of course, everyone knew it wasn’t going to be that easy to escape the clutches of the stubborn Princess.

The Protector only traveled a few feet before she felt those slender arms wrap around her torso once more. She felt the young girl shove her face into the back of her neck, moisture arising in that area.

“Please don’t leave me.” Anna wailed, her voice coarse and miserable. Loud sobs bounced within the halls, and it took every bit of energy for Elsa to not turn around and revert out of her cold act.

Elsa placed her hands-on top of Anna’s, and for a split second, she wanted to intertwine their fingers together and run soothing circles on the back of her hand, but she couldn’t be selfish. Instead, Elsa pried the young girl’s hands away from her waist, shoving them off of her as if it was the plague.

“Leave me alone, Anna.” Her voice was cold, cold enough to send even the bravest warriors running. The sound of Anna hyperventilating was the only thing that was heard in the atmosphere. Anna’s eyes, invisible to Elsa, were wide in millions of emotions – fear, hurt, shock, melancholy, lament but not anger.

Taking advantage of the silence, Elsa briskly walked away from the scene.

* * *

It took Elsa a couple of hours to reverse out of her emotionless self. Once all her thoughts caught up to her, all Elsa wanted to do was crawl under her covers and curl up in a ball. She felt like utter shit, and she might as well be portrayed that way in the younger girl’s mind now.

That night, Elsa was hesitant on going to her actual bedroom. She was afraid of what she would hear beyond the doors that she would usually stand outside of. Nonetheless, in the dead of night, Elsa snuck out of her guest bedroom and padded her way towards her own bedroom.

Walking down the cold halls, all she could think about was the way the scene had unfolded earlier that day. From the rumors that were spreading around the castle, Elsa had heard that the young Princess had gotten into a huge argument with the King following Elsa’s departure. Ever since then, the girl had skipped out on the rest of the events that were occurring for that day, holing herself up in the Protector’s room.

When Elsa was nearing the corner to her room, she heard the loud sobs of Princess Anna. The blonde clutched the area of her chest above her heart, feeling it ache a bit more than usual. She was tentative in waiting outside of the door like she usually did, but Elsa’s feet continued to carry her until she was in front of the wooden door.

Elsa gently placed her head against the wood, feeling the vibrations that stemmed from the sounds of Anna’s loud sobs and wails. Elsa placed her right hand on the wooden door, flattening her palm against it and feeling wetness upon her cheeks. Closing her eyes, the Protector allowed her tears to run freely down her cheeks while the sobs ensued. As much as she wanted to do something about it, she knew that she couldn’t. What topped it all off was the fact that Anna was in this state because of her; Anna’s sob intensified this night all because Elsa had to treat her like shit.

Elsa felt the letter shift in her pocket, being reminded of the main reason why she needed to go to her room tonight. The plan was to slip the letter she wrote for the girl under the door once the Princess had cried herself to sleep, something she did every night this past week. It was supposed to be an in-and-out mission, but luck did not seem to be on Elsa’s side for that day.

The sound of a loud crash and a yelp in pain beyond the door caused Elsa’s eyes to quickly widen and her Protector training to kick in. Elsa placed her hand on the doorknob, attempting to turn it open only to realize that it was locked.

Thousands of thoughts started running through her head, but the prominent theme within all of her thoughts was Anna’s safety.

Elsa started banging on the door, but there was not a single reply nor approaching footsteps that was heard. Acting quickly, Elsa stepped back and with all of her might, kicked the door down so that it swung open. The blonde stepped in, her eyes quickly sweeping the room to find the redhead. She found the girl holding onto her bleeding hand while remnants of a glass vase and daises were all over the floor.

The girl’s eyes were wide, but Elsa ignored the fact that she allowed Anna to see her. Instead, Elsa rushed forward to the young girl, side stepping the vase and grabbing her wrist to inspect the wound. “Are you crazy? We have to get this cleaned, come on.”

Elsa looked down at the broken glass, being able to detect where certain shards were at. Afraid that the redhead may step on any of the pieces, Elsa placed one arm on the middle of her back and another right behind her knees before picking her up.

Anna gave a small yelp in surprise while the Protector carried her to the bathroom. Elsa quickly placed Anna down so that the young girl was leaning against the sink. The redhead adjusted herself so that she sat on the counter of the sink, the typical roles of nurse and patient prior to the mission being reversed.

Elsa reached for the first aid, prepared the necessary items and looked down at the girl’s hand.

Inspecting it, the Protector gave a relieved breath and stored away the tweezers when she noted that it was only a cut.

Soaking a gauze pad with alcohol, Elsa looked up, her baby blue eyes gazing into the tear-stricken teal ones. “This is going to sting, okay? Just bear with me.” Elsa grabbed the Princess’s unharmed hand to place on her shoulder. With a small smile, Elsa moved her hand back to hold on to the Princess’s injured hand. Using her other hand that was holding the gauze, Elsa dabbed the wound and felt a sharp squeeze on her shoulder.

Once the cut was cleaned, Elsa started wrapping a bandage around the cut to securely protect it. Throughout the entire time, Anna’s aquamarine eyes kept on the Protector that had been avoiding her for the past week.

Neither was sure of what to exactly say.

The sounds of a vacuum resonated within the air. With curious eyes, Elsa immediately left the bathroom to see what the commotion was, only to come face to face with Gerda. The head housemaid smiled warmly at the girl, continuing to clean up the glass shards and daises.

“It’s such a shame that the flowers one of the Princes got for Anna met it’s end, isn’t it? The flowers were beautiful after all.” Gerda finished cleaning the mess, taking a small bow and bidding the Protector a good night before leaving the room.

Throughout the entire time, Elsa stood there, frozen in her tracks and unsure of what to exactly say. The demand that was given by the King trickled back into her mind. She wasn’t supposed to be here; she wasn’t supposed to be seen by Anna.

Elsa needed to go.

She was interfering with the ultimate goal and Anna’s potential happiness.

Before Elsa could bolt out of the room, she felt a fragile hand gently clasp her wrist. “Please, don’t leave.” The voice trembled and sobs followed soon after.

Elsa made the mistake in turning around to look at the Princess. Her heart dropped to her stomach as she finally had a better look at the girl. Anna’s auburn hair was still in a messy bun and her clothes changed out to Elsa’s large shirt. The girl stared up at Elsa, her overflowing tears cascading down her cheeks and dropping quickly onto the floor like a waterfall. Her bandaged hand was over her mouth, failing to muffle her sobs.

And with each second passing by, Elsa felt her concerns start to diminish slowly. Acting purely on instinct, the blonde approached the girl and pulled her into her arms, finally feeling as if everything was right in the world once again. The small gesture only intensified Anna’s sobs, the young girl clutching tightly onto Elsa’s shirt, her face burying in the crook of Elsa’s neck while the elder rubbed soothing circles on her back.

It seemed like a blur, but the door to Elsa’s bedroom was closed once again, and the two ended up under the covers. They assumed their typical positions as if everything was back to normal, just how it was supposed to be with the exception of Anna’s hands – the Princess had her hands tightly clutching onto the Protector’s shirt.

Anna was the first to speak. “I don’t want to fall asleep because I know you’ll be gone.”

Elsa sighed, rubbing circles around the young girl’s back. “What do you know?”

“Not much…just that something is fishy, and I have a feeling that it’s my father’s doing.” Her hands on the Protector’s shirt tightened.

Elsa sighed again, her blue eyes looking down at the Princess to notice that her teal eyes were focused only on her. Anna’s eyes were full of desperation and fear, gazing up at Elsa as if the Protector would disappear again.

Elsa stayed silent, and so, Anna filled in the gap. “Every day since you left for the mission, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I always missed waking up in your arms before you would head to training. I missed when we would have every meal together. I missed having you with me in our study and the way you would be so patient and warm when helping me with my work. I missed hearing your voice and being in your arms at the end of the day while we talked about everything and nothing. Heck, I even missed going to the town square with you to just people watch. I was so afraid that you wouldn’t come back.”

Elsa kept her soft, blue eyes on the girl who was now fighting back her tears, sniffling as she continued. “Then you came back and I was overjoyed. I hated a single second without you, and I was ready to whisk you away and stay in bed for the rest of eternity. Although, of course I knew that it was too good to be true for you to come back well. You passed out, and I couldn’t sleep or eat or even think knowing that you weren’t well.” Elsa’s heart clenched when the girl took a small pause in her explanation.

Anna inhaled a sharp breath in an attempt to muffle a sob. Elsa knew that the girl wasn’t done, and once Anna had recollected herself, the young girl continued. “Then you woke up and I felt so relieved. When you were unconscious for two days, I thought of the possibility of not having you in my life and I couldn’t imagine it. I imagined myself being so miserable and unhappy, and realized that no one can take your place. I fell asleep because exhaustion finally overtook me, and I thought I would finally have you by my side. I guess when I think I have you, it seems that I actually don’t.” The girl wryly said.

Elsa was now the one that had to restrain her own tears from falling as Anna had explained what had gone through her head the past two weeks. The young girl would always make sure that she would be able to voice her thoughts clearly, having been frustrated in the past when uncontrollable actions deriving from emotions, such as sobs and sniffles, hindered her from expressing her thoughts.

“And when I wake up, you’re gone. Not only are you just magically gone without an explanation, but I noticed how you seem to have purposely avoided me! What tops it off is that it’s not like I can actively seek you considering that I’m being dragged to all these events that my parents make me obligated to attend. I hate how you have so much fucking control over me.” Anna cried before she started to break down into sobs.

Everything made sense to Elsa except for the last statement. _What did she mean by having so much control over her? Am I too controlling? Is she saying that I’m manipulative?_

Anna shoved her face into Elsa’s chest, muffling her loud wails and cries while letting her tears be soaked by the Protector’s shirt. Deciding that now was not the time to question the emotionally driven girl, Elsa wrapped her arms protectively around her waist. The blonde rubbed soothing circles on a certain part of Anna’s back that she knew would help pacify the crying redhead.

Elsa’s head hurt at the multitudinous number of thoughts running through her head. Although, it didn’t hurt as much as her heart did; a pain that she seemingly could not bear. Elsa never really experienced something as painful and intense as this. Getting sliced on her side by an enemy? That was nothing. Comparing the pain from the slice to any sort of adverse feeling relating to the redhead would have the slice be considered as miniscule as a grain of sand.

Elsa hated when Anna wasn’t happy. She hated when the girl would be hurt and crying over something that Elsa wished she could control. _And it’s all because of me. Even when I think I’m trying to do something that would be best for her, it seems that I can’t get any of this right._

It exasperated the Protector how she was the one that had unintentionally caused Anna’s pain. The worst part was, Elsa didn’t know how to exactly fix it. She didn’t know how to resolve their dilemma, nor did she have any sort of plan moving forward from here. She didn’t want to be selfish with Anna, but the Protector obviously saw what avoidance did to her beloved. _Agh, but the King’s orders and Anna’s chance for a love that she deserves… I can’t take that away from her for my own selfish reasons._

Throughout her inner turmoil and continuous effort to comfort Anna, the redhead’s sobs gradually quelled to hiccups, then to eventual erratic breathing. When Elsa took a glance down, Anna was soundly sleeping in her arms, eyes puffed up and swollen with tear stained cheeks.

“I’m sorry that I hurt you, Anna. I didn’t mean to and it’s hard to explain, but just know that I love you. I love you so fucking much, which is the reason why I’m doing this.” Elsa murmured softly, knowing that the girl was fast asleep in her arms. _Her exhaustion must have caught up to her again._

Elsa stayed in bed with the young girl, cherishing each second of having the girl in her arm’s before she knew that she had to leave for training. It took so much willpower to leave, but Elsa knew that she had to go through with the King’s orders. With a defeated sigh, Elsa unwrapped her arms around the sleeping Princess and carefully slipped out of her bed.

She placed the letter on the bedside table, fulfilling her main objective in coming to begin with. Looking down at the sleeping Princess, Elsa leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. “I love you.”

Withdrawing away from Anna, Elsa made her way to the exit of her bedroom. Delicately opening the door, Elsa silently slipped out of the room and started making her way towards the forest.

* * *

“Kid, have I ever told you how stupid you are?” Kallum questioned from the top of a tree. The Spymaster was looking down at his apprentice, watching as the girl kept slashing her wooden sword at a target dummy that the man had brought. Even with a wooden sword, the target was nearly falling apart.

“Shut up.” Elsa growled, quickly throwing a wooden piece at the Spymaster in the trees. The man dodged the piece but was immediately hit by two other ones when he had jumped to a different tree.

Kallum looked at his apprentice impressively, but Elsa only continued her training by slashing her sword and working on her footwork against the test dummy. Shaking his head, the Spymaster climbed down the tree and walked over to his apprentice. He grabbed Elsa’s wrist to only have her shake him off roughly and continue her abuse on the test dummy.  
  


“Kid.” Kallum chided. The Protector ignored his demand, stopping her abuse on the test dummy every now and then to throw a wooden piece at the copious number of ribbons tied to branches around the forest. The Spymaster groaned, taking out his metal dagger and placing it between the wooden sword and the test dummy to stop the girl from continuing forward.

Elsa, still focused on her training, slid and angled her wooden sword in a way that knocked Kallum’s dagger out of his hand and into the air. The dagger flew and hit against one of the pink ribbons tied all over the forest.

Kallum blinked twice, his grey eyes the size of moons as his apprentice continued to train. “I’m impressed kid, but you need to talk about this.” The Spymaster tried to reason.

Elsa’s movements and aggression did not falter. Kallum released his own disappointed sigh before taking out his second dagger and carefully observing Elsa’s movements. Once he got the hang of it, at the precise moment, he slammed his metal dagger down only for the Protector to quickly withdraw it.

His action stopped her movements, and the Protector turned to the Spymaster with an amused look. “I thought you didn’t want another wooden sword to be broken?”

“Well, you’re being too damn stubborn to even talk.” Kallum grumbled, taking a seat on the forest floor and looking up at the Protector.

“Fine, talk. Although, I have to head to the castle in ten minutes to talk to the King under his request.” Elsa sighed, tossing the wooden sword next to the battered test dummy. Her blue eyes focused onto the Kallum’s grey ones.

Kallum released another sigh. “Kid, you can’t just ignore Anna.”

Elsa scowled at Kallum’s statement. “I’m not ignoring her; It’s not my choice to do this. Besides, once the morning after the Winter Solstice Masquerade ball arises, I’ll go back to being her Protector and don’t have to ignore her.”

“Why wait then when you can just be her Protector now?”

Elsa released a frustrated sigh as it seemed that she had explained this to the Spymaster for the tenth time. “Because after the ball, all of the visitors will prepare to leave anyways. The only reason why King Agnarr wants me to stay away is to help Anna find a suitor.”

“You’re actually stupid, kid. What if Anna doesn’t even want a suitor?” Kallum challenged, crossing his legs together as he got a bit more comfortable on the forest floor.

“She’s been fantasizing and yearning for that true, romantic love since she was eight, Kallum. Of course she wants some sort of romantic partner in the future, and what better way to look for one then during this celebration?” Elsa grumbled.

“But you haven’t even asked her! You’re jumping into conclusions to what you think she would want, but maybe that isn’t what she wants.” Kallum argued.

Elsa sighed, running a hand through her platinum-blonde braid. “I have to follow the King’s orders, okay? Once the ball is over and the sun rises, I’ll be her Protector again and only her Protector. Don’t worry about me, Kallum. If anything, you should be worrying and preparing for the mission you have to tend to the morning after the ball.”

Kallum’s lips curved downward in a frown. “Don’t remind me about that, kid. I’ll be gone for a week; you think you’ll be able to survive and train without me?”

“It should be fine, especially if I’m going to be Anna’s Protector again. You’ve taught me all the fundamentals and technicalities I need to know – it’s just a matter of refining them now.”

Kallum nodded his head. “Very well then. I still think you’re an idiot, kid.”

Elsa chuckled in response, her blue eyes shifting away from the Spymaster and towards the castle. “I should really get going.”

“The King is waiting. Let’s meet up and talk again before I leave, okay?” Kallum saw the Protector nod her head in agreement before she started to run back to the castle.

* * *

The young, platinum-blonde haired Protector walked down the castle halls, her feet carrying her to the dining hall. The luncheon that was planned for today should have been concluding around this time, and it was a clear sign considering that there were more guests running amuck in the halls of the castle.

Elsa turned the corner before the dining hall, briskly walking down while more guests flooded out of the double doors. She felt the stares of some of the guests on her, but it didn’t make her uncomfortable. When she reached the door, she was about to walk in when she heard the King’s voice echo in the room.

“Anna, why don’t you show Hans to your study that you use? I’m sure you two could talk more there.” His voice seemed to have a certain rushed and anxious edge.

Elsa heard that angelic voice that she had craved and missed. Even though it had only been a few days since their last, bittersweet encounter, Elsa felt like it was a lifetime. “But father…”

“Kristoff, why don’t you escort Princess Anna and Prince Hans to her study?” the King pushed. Elsa stood behind the door, her fist clenched as she gritted her teeth together in anger and jealousy. The Protector felt envious of the Prince who was able to talk with the redhead freely in their study. _Our study. She’s going to let someone else in our study._

Her jaw clenched harder at the thought, and it felt like someone was harshly squeezing her heart out of her chest. What she would do to storm in there and proclaim her love for the young girl. What she would do to claim Princess Anna as her own. _But I can’t, I fucking can’t because she deserves a better love. I fucking can’t because I’m just her Protector and her friend and that’s all I will and can ever be._

The sound of the chair screeching against the wooden floor followed by a thud resonated within the room. The Protector was getting dirty looks from the guests who were trying to exit the room; the guests exited out of the double doors and turned to only come into close contact with the Protector. Figuring at this point that she really just wanted to go to her temporary bedroom and curl into a ball, the Protector entered the dining room.

When she had entered, silence permeated the room and Elsa felt all eyes on her. There seemed to be a mixture of surprise and anxiousness within the air.

Although, the King was the first to come back to his sense. “Ah, Elsa! You are here for our discussion, aren’t you? Please come and take a seat.”

King Agnarr had sat at the head of the table as expected. Elsa noticed that there was still a man sitting to the right of King Agnarr. Her eyes took note of the chair that had fallen over on the left side of the room. On one side of the chair was a boy that seemed to have been Kristoff’s age, his brown-orange hair and hideous sideburns seemed to be the noticeable features to his appearance. His green eyes were the size of moons that was staring down at the fallen chair.

Kristoff stood against the wall, his own brown eyes widening at the entrance of his older sister. The last time the two had conversated with one another was the day before Elsa’s departure for her mission, and even then, that wouldn’t be considered a proper conversation.

Elsa’s azure blue eyes then looked at the girl that was standing in front of the fallen chair. Elsa felt her heart skip a few beats when her eyes had fallen on the Princess. She looked from her green flats up to the long, simple green dress that reached to the middle of her calves. Elsa felt her heart drum against her chest when she noticed that the girl wore her coat for warmth.

Anna’s hair was still in her classic twin braids. Her face was coated in heavy make-up to most likely cover the bags under her eyes. Even under the dining room light, the girl looked like the most precious and beautiful person in the entire universe.

When blue met teal green, all time for Elsa seemed to stop. Everything around and behind the girl seemed to have blurred for the Protector, and the teal eyes glinted with something that Elsa wasn’t familiar with. Oh, how Elsa had to fight the urge to run over to the girl and wrap her own arms around Anna’s frame. She had to fight the overwhelming urge to console the girl, to whisper sweet nothings into her ear and to tell the other guy to fuck off. Then, Elsa’s mind started to wander. _Did she read my letter?_

“Anna, you and Hans should go.” The King’s voice roared within Elsa’s ears. The Protector shook out of her stupor of the young Princess. It seemed as if the two had gotten lost in each other’s eyes considering that the King had a peeved face, as if he had repeated his request multiple times. Anna had also snapped out of her own trance and glared at her father, crossing her arms in defiance.

“Why?” Was all she replied. Usually in these situations, King Agnarr would turn to Elsa in hopes of trying to have the Protector coerce Anna away from her stubbornness.

Obviously, that couldn’t be possible with the premise of this situation.

“Anna, please.” King Agnarr hissed, using a tone that Elsa nor Anna were familiar with. It was threatening, menacing and hostile. Instinctually, Elsa would have rushed over to the younger girl to defend her, but she knew that she didn’t have the power to at the moment. The King’s green eyes pierced into his daughter’s, starting the infamous stare down between the two.

Although, because there were guests, Anna only sighed before standing up and storming out of the dining hall. When the redhead passed the Protector, it took every single ounce of restraint from Elsa to not grab the Princess’s wrist. It took every bit of willpower to not turn around and call for the girl that clearly had her heart.

The boy with the sideburns quickly followed the Princess in suit when the other man across from King Agnarr had given him a look followed by a gesture with his head. Kristoff quickly bowed to the two men before following steadily behind.

The door to the dining hall closed behind Kristoff, leaving Elsa and the two men in the room alone. King Agnarr sighed, running a hand across his face and taking a deep breath. The King turned back to Elsa. “Apologies Elsa. Please, take a seat.”

The platinum-blonde haired girl made her way over to the empty seat that was to the left of the King. Anna’s father gestured towards the unknown man that was sitting across from Elsa. “This is King Harry of the Southern Isles. Harry, this is Brandon’s eldest child, Elsa.”

The man was almost similar to what Prince Hans looked like: orange, brown hair and green eyes. The difference was that the man didn’t have sideburns, the nose was slightly smaller than the Prince’s, the King had a bit more facial hair and definitely a stronger build.

King Harry smiled brightly at the young girl. “Ah, yes. Elsa Winters, I have heard so much about you from far and wide, especially after that escort mission that you managed with Spymaster Kallum. If you weren’t Princess Anna’s Protector, I would have immediately offered you a job as my own Spymaster, Head of Royal Guard or even Protector.”

Elsa bowed her head again. “Thank you, King Harry.”

Meanwhile, King Agnarr donned his possessive scowl. “Elsa is probably our strongest asset. She will always be serving under Arendelle.”

King Harry only chuckled, tapping his fingers against the wooden table with a playful smile. “Unless one of my thirteen sons decide to whisk your daughter’s heart away.”

In that moment, Elsa wouldn’t mind punching the King right in the face. Instead of doing so, the Protector placed her clenched hands on her lap and spoke up. “What is it that you need from me, King Agnarr?”

King Agnarr straightened himself up in his seat. “Elsa, you are not to revert back to being Anna’s Protector until the day after tomorrow. Although, tomorrow marks the final day of the Winter Solstice celebration as we will be holding a masquerade ball. Everyone will be there masked, but I need to make sure that my daughter is safe.”

Elsa felt her heart stop beating for a quick second in her chest. _Is King Agnarr going to make me her Protector starting tomorrow instead? Does he not want me to attend the ball? Not that I want to go anyways…_

The King continued. “As agreed, you will not interact with Princess Anna until the morning after the masquerade ball. As mentioned, you are our best asset and we need all hands-on deck. You will attend the ball as a guest, but your job is to keep an eye on my daughter and make sure that nothing goes awry throughout the ball. Even once the clock strikes midnight and the fireworks go off, you are not alleviated of the request that I had made prior to the Solstice until the sun rises, do I make myself clear?”

_Of course, he wouldn’t make me her Protector any earlier than needed. The masquerade ball will help the Princess find someone without having to worry that they will like her because of her status._

Elsa nodded her head stoically. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

King Agnarr relayed a satisfied smile. “Very well. You will be given details of what the Princess will be wearing for both her mask and dress, as well as being aware of what her exact hairstyle will be like. Do you have any questions?”

Elsa paused for a moment, thinking about the fact that she would exactly know which mask belonged to Anna for tomorrow night. She thought about the fact that she would have to watch the girl dance with countless strangers, and all she could do was watch. Then when the fireworks would go off at midnight, she may be in the arms of another stranger.

Elsa hated that; she despised that. The platinum-blonde haired girl would rather rip her eyes out then watch the redhead be with someone else when the fireworks would go off. Each year, watching the fireworks was _their_ thing. The two would always go to the town square or the balcony of their study to watch it together.

The study that she was currently showing to a foreign Prince.

Elsa knew what she needed to say. “I actually have one request about tomorrow.”

The King nodded his head, motioning for the young Protector to continue.

“I want to be alleviated of my duty thirty minutes before midnight. I will still obey the request and will not approach the Princess until the morning after the ball, but I wish to be free of my duties of the masquerade ball thirty minutes before midnight.” _And it’ll at least save my stupid, weak heart from a bit of damage._

King Agnarr’s green eyes shined approvingly at Elsa’s request. “Of course, Elsa. Is that all?”

“Yes, that is all.” Elsa replied.

The King clapped his hands together. “Great, okay. I will see you later, Elsa.”

The Protector bowed her head to the King before standing up from her chair. “Thank you, King Agnarr. It was also a pleasure meeting you, King Harry.”

The Southern Isles King answered with triumphant smile. “Not at all, Elsa. It is a pleasure to finally meet the fierce fighter of Arendelle. I hope you do know that my offer still stands if your position in Arendelle is ever compromised.”

Elsa replied with a force smile before turning on her heel and walking out of the dining hall. The Protector was ready to take a long-needed bath before burying herself under the covers with a nice book in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one hehe. I'm thinking of rather uploading once every week or twice every week depending on how my work week will be like! Thank you again for your overwhelming support - it really does encourage me because it lets me know if there are people out there reading! :)


	12. The Masquerade Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys again for your overwhelming support!! :)  
> This was by far, my most favorite chapter to write, and I am excited for you guys to read through it. Idk, something about masquerade balls got me feeling some sort of way? haha

Elsa clenched her teeth and released a growl when Gerda tightened the corset around her waist. The elderly woman glared at the Protector through the mirror that she was facing before she continued to tighten the corset. Meanwhile, the Spymaster, who was already dressed in a black tuxedo, sat on the bed, laughing at the Protector’s disposition.

The other maids were helping Princess Anna with her preparations for the masquerade ball while Gerda was the only one willing to help the platinum-blonde haired girl. Elsa would like to think that Anna, being the Princess, needed much more attention and assistance. Kallum argues another possibility could be that everyone else would have been afraid to receive Elsa’s fury.

Kallum got the sandbag thrown at his gut.

The King had thought that for Elsa to blend in and not capture Princess Anna’s eye during the ball, it would be best if Elsa did dress up like a lady. For balls, Elsa would usually wear her typical long-sleeve and tights attire. There was only a couple of occasions where Elsa didn’t wear her usual attire but had worn black slacks, a white button-up shirt, a black blazer and tie.

Of course, if Elsa were to wear that for the ball, Anna would spot her immediately. So, the King had brought Elsa a long, black elegant dress that reached to her ankles with a slit on the side that reached to the middle of her thigh. The King also provided the Protector with black heels. Luckily, she was able to quickly pick up on walking in heels thanks to her training.

Her mask was a simple and black laced that matched with Kallum’s. To be truthfully honest, it was the only thing that Elsa could find on a last-minute basis.

The Protector released another growl when Gerda pulled harshly at the corset. The woman rolled her eyes at the Protector before continuing her assault.

“Sometimes, I’m grateful that I don’t have to dress up like this.” Elsa mumbled. Gerda finished tightening up the last portion of Elsa’s corset, and the girl released a grunt when the maid pulled away.

“Hmmm, maybe I overdid it.” Gerda said, eyeing Elsa’s frame.

The Spymaster gave an amused chuckle. “Gerda, please be my guest to redo it if you need to. My apprentice never undergoes or shows this much pain, so it’s a refreshing sight to see how a mere corset can unravel her strength.”

“No, it’s fine Gerda. I’ll only be in this for a night anyways.” Elsa hissed desperately. The maid looked between the two before she laughed and started touching up Elsa’s make up.

“You’ll be ready soon, Miss Elsa. Do you know what the Princess looks like?” Gerda started re-touching the girl’s make-up. Under her request, Elsa only wanted the lightest make-up possible. This consisted of purple eyeshadow and mascara.

Elsa answered. “Her hair is going to be up in her usual crown braid, the dress she will wear is a long, sapphire blue dress with lace ends and the mask that she will wear is the same color as her dress with white snowflakes decorating across it.”

“Good.” Gerda commended, fixing up Elsa’s own crown braid. Once the maid was done, she walked over to the dress and motioned for the Protector to stand up. Gerda quickly helped her into the dress, smiling at the final result. “The Princess will not recognize you at all.”

“She is right, kid.” Kallum noted on the bed. Elsa turned around to look at herself in the mirror.

She did not recognize the girl in the mirror at all. The clothing she wore at the moment was definitely not her style. Her attire, her look, everything about the girl that she was looking at in the mirror was not her.

“Have a great night, Miss Elsa and Sir Kallum.” Gerda said with a bow before leaving the room.

Elsa continued looking at herself in the mirror, unable to distinguish her old self from her masquerade self. Kallum only chuckled, standing from the bed and looking at his apprentice as well.

“You going to stop admiring yourself soon, kid?” the man asked with a smug smile. Elsa rolled her blue eyes before turning around to face the Spymaster.

“I’m done, I’m done. Let’s just get going, shall we?” Elsa asked.

Spymaster Kallum needed to attend in order to make sure all was well with the ball, and just in case there was any intel that he could collect before he had to leave the following morning.

Kallum shook his head, his brunette hair bouncing with each shake. “Hold on.”

Elsa cocked her head to the side in confusion while the Spymaster bent down under the bed to pull something out. Kallum retrieved a long box that was wrapped in brown paper and tied with a bow. The man got up from his squatting position, walking over to hand Elsa the present. “Open it.”

Elsa hesitantly accepted the gift. Her eyes looked up at the rare, warm grey eyes that the Spymaster was looking at her with. The girl looked back down at the gift. Her pale, slender fingers toyed with the bow before it loosened it up gingerly and unwrapped the ribbon. Elsa delicately opened the brown paper, making sure that she didn’t make any tears or rips into it.

The Protector pulled out a velvet, navy blue box from the wrapping. Her eyes slightly widened, wondering if her suspicions of what was behind the blue box was true. Her fingers glided over the length of the smooth surface of the box, eventually reaching the end where her digits hooked underneath the top half of the box.

Elsa lifted the box to unveil a shiny steel sword. Elsa noted that the grip of the sword was a dark blue color with the pommel of the sword being a shade of pure white with a sapphire at the middle. The steel was sharp, sleek and shined even in the dim light of the room. When Elsa’s eyes skimmed to the guard, she noticed that it was a temporary guard.

“I thought it would be best for you to decide what the guard would look like. You could tell me what you would want the guard to be, and I can have it done.” Kallum said when he saw the girl’s blue eyes hover over the guard.

“Why did you get this done?” Elsa’s blue eyes glanced up at the Spymaster.

“Well, you are my apprentice after all. Kid, it’s been a pain in the ass to train you, but I am grateful to have had the opportunity to do so. You showed potential ever since the first day. Think of this as just a thank you for your patience with me as well. My trainings nor my character aren’t a walk through the park, after all.” Kallum chuckled.

Elsa’s blue eyes glanced down, her slender fingers running across the smooth blade. _Wow, this sword is amazing._

The Protector picked it up, feeling as if the grip of the sword was the perfect fit for her. She gave the sword a swing and noticed how smooth the movement was for her. _This sword is perfect._

Elsa’s blue eyes looked up at the Spymaster’s grey, nervous ones. Her lips curved upward in a genuine smile for once in the longest time. The last time Elsa had recalled the man smiling was since they had arrived back from their mission. “Thank you, Kallum.”

Relief flooded those grey eyes and the Spymaster returned his own small smile. “No problem, kid.”

Elsa gingerly placed the sword back down into the box before placing the box on the table. Looking at the Spymaster, she offered him her arm. “Shall we go, m’lady?”

Kallum rolled his eyes and accepted his apprentice’s arm. “Let’s get this night over with, kid.”

* * *

Elsa watched from the top balcony as people had danced with one another below in the ballroom. Placing her forearms against the railing, her eyes immediately spotted the Princess in the far-right corner. _Of course I would notice her right when I get in the room._

The Princess had matched the description that was given to her prior to the start of the masquerade ball. Her hair was up in a crowd braid and her sapphire dress hugged her curves in a breathtaking sort of manner. Anna’s color was never blue because it was always associated with the Protector, but when she did wear it, Elsa always grew a sense of possessiveness over her. There was no Protector next to the Princess, not even Kristoff himself. No one really knew who the Princess was except for Elsa, Kallum, Kristoff and Brandon. The less people that could distinguish and identify the Princess, the safer she would be.

Also, one thing that clearly gave Elsa the idea that the mysterious girl was Anna was the fact that the Princess had checked in _her_ coat before entering the ball.

Elsa felt the vibrations of Kallum’s footsteps as he walked over to her. When Kallum stood next to her, he offered the Protector a glass of champagne.

“No thanks, I’m okay.” Elsa’s eyes solely focused on the auburn-haired beauty below her. Kallum only chuckled before mumbling a “more for me.”

Elsa watched as the Princess attempted to keep to herself. There were some occasions where the young girl would be approached by different men, but the redhead would only keep their conversations succinct before making a quick escape.

That quelled Elsa’s possessiveness just a smidge.

Elsa recalled when these types of balls happened. The two of them would always try to escape socializing with anyone else, typically staying near the table that was decorated with food. Usually, Anna would always pull Elsa to have the first dance of the night with her. There would only be some occasions where that wasn’t possible if the King had wanted the Princess to dance with himself or another potential suitor. Of course, once Anna had done her first dance of the night, she would immediately ask the Protector for a dance around the ballroom.

At the age of eight, Anna had always wanted to have at least one dance with the Protector. She deemed that it was good practice, but after two years, the young girl made the Protector promise her to be each other’s last dance of the night for each and every ball. Elsa, being smitten for the young girl for the entirety of her life, promised that she would ask her for the last dance of the night to each and every ball that they would both attend.

Except that for tonight, the promise may not go through.

And the realization hit Elsa hard. She hated breaking promises. Although, she had to think of the young girl’s happiness. _Her happiness. I mean, eventually when she finds someone else, it’s not like she would want me to be her last dance anyways._

That realization hurt. It hurt so much that Elsa felt her head spin and her breathing start to irregulate. It hurt so much that she felt someone grab her arm to try and shake her out of her daze.

“You okay, kid?” Kallum gave the girl a worried look. Elsa only nodded her head, closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, pausing, then releasing that breath.

“Y-Yeah I’m fine.” She mumbled in reply. Kallum sighed and motioned towards the dance floor.

“You should keep your eye on the Princess. She’s dancing with someone.” Elsa’s blue eyes immediately opened before it shot towards the dance floor. The Spymaster was true to his word, as Anna was currently being escorted by a man with blonde hair. “Don’t worry kid, her father had to talk to her in dancing with someone instead of avoiding the entire ball.”

Elsa’s eyes followed as Anna danced with the man, watching the girl like a hawk. Although, it seemed to have been a mistake considering that the young girl looked up at the balcony level, meeting the gaze of the Protector.

_Oh god, you idiot, you’re going to blow your cover._

A voice broke her out of her stare with the Princess. “Elsa?” She turned to see her brother standing there nervously in his own black tuxedo and purple mask. “King Agnarr requests that you should dance with someone and make sure that Anna sees so that she doesn’t get suspicious of you.” Kristoff carried the message.

“Why does she need to dance with anyone?” Kallum asked with a questioning gaze.

Elsa replied to her brother. “Okay. Thank you for the message.”

Kristoff bowed his head before quickly scampering away from the duo.

Kallum raised his eyebrow at his apprentice. “Explanation please?”

Elsa sighed, raising her hand to run through her hair. She stopped only to realize that it was in a crown braid. She retracted her hand before turning back to the dance floor, her blue eyes searching for the Princess. “Anna knows that these types of events aren’t really my thing. She knows that I would never dance willingly unless it is with her. I guess, by her seeing me dance with someone else, she wouldn’t suspect that it’s me; hence, why she isn’t fully observing the people on the dance floor. She is only taking note of them for a brief second to cross them off her list.”

“I see.” Kallum said, his grey eyes focusing on the dance floor to come into contact with the teal ones that seemed to have been staring up at them. “Well, you best get to that dance then. I think the Princess is getting suspicious of us.”

Elsa spotted the girl to confirm Kallum’s statement. Elsa sighed again, nodding her head as she turned to the Spymaster. “Would you like to dance?”

Kallum laughed at his apprentice’s request. His grey eyes quickly glanced at the Protector before he looked back down at the ground level and shook his head. “No thanks, I want to make sure that the Princess doesn’t kill me at the end of the night. Besides, someone is coming up behind you.”

True to the Spymaster’s word, Elsa felt a tap on her shoulder. The blonde quickly turned around to be met with a girl that seemed to have been around Anna’s height. The girl had bright, red flowing hair and ocean blue eyes behind her plain, black mask. The girl wore a long, teal dress that had ruffles at the end of it.

“Good evening, m’lady.” The girl bowed. The mysterious girl looked up at Elsa with a sly smile. “I couldn’t help but notice you from across the room. You look gorgeous this fine evening, and I was wondering if you would care for a dance?”

Elsa looked at the girl, noticing her soft features and baby cheeks that she still retained. The girl didn’t look that much older from Anna and radiated an innocent and pure aura to her. _I do need to dance with someone to quell the suspicion…_

“Sure.” Elsa said. The redhead gave Elsa a small smile before the Protector offered her arm to the mysterious redhead. The girl accepted Elsa’s arm as the two made their way down the stairs and to the dance floor.

As Elsa and the mysterious girl waltzed around the dance floor, the Protector felt Princess Anna’s eyes still drilled into her. Their eyes would meet briefly before Elsa would turn away, but the Protector still felt Anna’s eyes focus solely on her. The redhead in her arms leaned forward and whispered in Elsa’s ear. “You dance beautifully, m’lady.”

Elsa snapped out of her daze and offered the mysterious girl a smile. “Thank you. You don’t dance horribly yourself.” _Wow, way to compliment someone, Elsa._

The mysterious girl giggled as the two continued dancing on to the next song. “Thank you.” Elsa noted that Anna had found a new dance partner and had joined the floor. “So, tell me more about yourself.”

Elsa had rehearsed her answer many times with Kallum. “I am a daughter of a nobleman that resides in the Kingdom of Corona. My father insisted that I should try and attend one of these balls with him when the proper time has come.”

The redhead gave an innocent smile to Elsa. “Is that so?”

The Protector nodded her head in reply, her blue eyes scanning the dance floor to note that spot the Princess. The mysterious girl that she was dancing giggled again.

“What is it that you deem to be so interesting to not pay attention to your dance partner?” the girl teased. Elsa’s blue eyes snapped back to her dance partner to see that a smug smile replaced the innocent smile.

“Nothing, really. I’m just in awe about an event like this, that’s all. It is my first Winter Solstice celebration in Arendelle after all.”

“I’m sure you have been to many balls before?” The mysterious girl inquired. Elsa only shrugged her shoulders in response.

“Nope, this is my first one. As I mentioned earlier, my father didn’t want me to attend these sorts of things until he thought I was ready.” Elsa replied smoothly, her eyes focusing back on the Princess. Anna seemed to have been out of it, airing out the conversation that she was currently having with her dance partner. When Anna’s teal eyes met with Elsa’s blue ones, the Protector quickly looked away, a small flush forming on her face. _Can’t get caught like that._

“Is that so?” The mysterious girl was closely watching Elsa’s actions and movements. The Protector only nodded her head as she continued to try and sneak subtle glances at the Princess, who was now inspecting all the other people in the room except her dance partner.

“Yes, it is.” Elsa looked down at her dance partner, offering the girl her most charismatic smile. The girl’s smile widened as well. Elsa looked back up, her eyes quickly scanning the crowd for the Princess again.

The mysterious girl slowed down her dancing, causing Elsa to slow down as well to follow her pace. The girl leaned up so that her lips were barely against the shell of Elsa’s ear. “You are a liar, Elsa Winters, Protector of Princess Anna.”

Elsa’s blue eyes suddenly widened and quickly shifted to the redhead that was still dancing in her arms. The mysterious girl kept close to Elsa, her front pressing against Elsa’s own while her lips still stayed right next to Elsa’s ear.

The mysterious girl’s breath breezed against Elsa’s ear. “If I were you Elsa Winters, I would keep an eye out for the Princess. Who knows what may happen?”

The song ended and her dance partner pulled away. The innocent smile was back on her lips as she took a small bow before scurrying off into the crowd. Elsa stood there, eyes wide, blinking and dumbfounded for a mere second before she snapped back to her senses and started chasing after the girl.

The Protector pushed against strangers, trying to fight her way through the crowd and hearing cusses come her way at her actions. Regardless, Elsa kept going in an attempt to follow the girl. _How does she know who I am?_

Elsa thought back to the mysterious girl’s words. _Was that a threat?_ The platinum-blonde continued to push through the crowd until she arrived outside of the ballroom. People who were lingering in the halls gave her odd looks before continuing back to their conversation. Her blue eyes scanned the hallway quickly to notice that the girl had disappeared.

Before Elsa could decide where to go, she felt a hand grab onto her wrist, halting her movements. The blonde turned around to face the grey eyed man, looking at his apprentice, eyes filled with concern.

“What’s wrong, kid?” Kallum tried to console. Elsa’s eyes quickly swept throughout the hall, but the mysterious girl that she had danced with was nowhere to be seen. The Protector looked at Kallum and pulled him to a secluded area of the hallway.

“The girl with the bright, red hair and teal dress that I was dancing with… she knew who I was. It seemed like she knew who Anna was as well… she told me to keep an eye on Anna.” Elsa hissed.

Kallum took in the information, blinking his grey eyes. “Did it seem like a threat?”

“I don’t know.” Elsa’s tone leaked pure stress and anxiety. The girl raised her hand in an attempt to run it through her braid, only to realize that for the second time that night, her hair was up in a crown braid.

So, in substitute, the girl released a frustrated sigh. Kallum offered his apprentice a comforting smile. “Don’t worry about it, kid. I will talk to my agents to keep an eye out and give an update if they ever find anything, okay? Let’s get back on duty.”

Elsa nodded her head, shaking her negative thoughts away. _Right, got to focus on the task at hand._

The Spymaster and his apprentice walked back up the stairs and settled at their place in the balcony level. The blonde sighed, leaning her forearms against the railing to look ahead while Kallum took a seat next to his apprentice.

Kallum signaled for a man to come over. The man obliged, and Kallum started whispering his request into the man’s ear. Meanwhile, Elsa only took a quick glance at Kallum and the guest before shifting her gaze back onto the dance floor.

Elsa noted that there was only two hours left of the ball before midnight would strike. Her blue eyes caught the familiar sapphire dress gliding across the dance floor. The blonde trained her eyes on Anna, the young girl dancing with another boy who was most likely just another nobleman’s son.

Releasing a sigh, Elsa made sure that her gaze would only fixate on Anna for the rest of the night. The words that the mysterious girl heeded to her made the Protector feel anxious and queasy. Elsa felt sick to her stomach as she saw Anna dance with man after man, but the idea of having the girl hurt trumped all the agitation she had felt when Anna danced with anyone else but her.

Thirty minutes had passed while Anna had jumped from person to person in conversation. Elsa kept her blue eyes trained on the girl until she felt a small tap on her bare shoulder. Turning around, the Protector met Kallum’s grey eyes.

“Kid, none of my agents have spotted the girl, but they’re scattered across the city and castle just in case they see her.” Kallum said.

“Thanks.” Her blue eyes shifted away from Kallum’s grey ones and back onto the dance floor. That’s when she noticed that the Prince that she had seen yesterday was currently talking to Anna. Elsa could tell by those hideous sideburns from a mile away.

Ever since Elsa had danced with the mysterious girl, Anna didn’t give a single glance in Elsa’s direction, signaling that the Princess had crossed Elsa off of her list. Even though the blonde was slightly relieved, there was a small part of her that was nagging at the fact that Anna couldn’t recognize her.

Elsa’s azure, blue eyes narrowed as the Prince held onto Anna’s hand and guided her towards the dance floor. The Protector’s mind wandered back to the previous day’s events and how Anna had probably shown the Prince their study.

The Protector’s jaw clenched at the mere thought of the Prince sitting on her bean bags. She felt an unfamiliar fire start roaring inside of her as she thought about the idea of Anna choosing Prince Hans as her future beloved. Her mind started imagining when Anna would finally get sick of her and put the platinum-blonde girl in her place as her Protector.

Prince Hans would be in Anna’s study and it would be considered _their_ study instead. The sideburns man would be the one to hold the young girl in his arms. The Protector’s mind imagined the Prince taking her place: he would be the one that would read to Anna, he would be the one that would have Anna on his lap while she was studying, he would be the one that would tickle her sides in a playful manner.

While all Elsa would be doing is her actual job. She would be standing outside of the study door, hearing the small giggles of the Princess that she wasn’t the cause of.

Elsa was angry, but she was also hit with a sudden force of depression at the idea. It wasn’t until she felt hands shake her shoulders when she snapped out of her imaginary world. Turning to her right, she saw the Spymaster look at her worriedly.

Kallum gestured towards Elsa’s hands. The girl looked down to note that her knuckles were pure white, tightened in fist and squeezing the life out of the railing.

“Kid, you alright?”

Elsa loosened her grip on the railing, her eyes gazing down at the ground as she mumbled her reply. “Yeah, I’m alright. Sorry about that.”

Through her peripherals, Elsa saw as the Spymaster shook his brunette hair. “No, it’s okay. You only have an hour left of this before midnight hits, kid.”

Elsa looked at the clock to note that Kallum was correct. _I just need to endure another thirty minutes._

With a deep breath, Elsa’s blue eyes glanced back at the dance floor to note that Anna was still waltzing around with the same Prince. _You can do it, just keep an eye out for her._

And Elsa did. The next thirty minutes was the most excruciating moment of her life as she watched the Prince never leave Anna’s side. The two continued to dance around the ballroom, the Prince would offer her drinks that he would grab, or they would conversate at an empty table. Throughout the entire time, Elsa noted how the Princess had acted differently to the Prince compared to the other men throughout the night. Anna would smile and laugh at the conversations they would have while they were dancing or sitting down. Elsa noted how the Prince would chuckle along, subtlety touching the Princess on the arm or hand in a flirtatious manner. The Protector almost snapped when the Prince would kiss the back of Anna’s hand on multiple occasions, but she had to teach herself restraint.

The worst part was that Anna had accepted all of the grazes and gestures. The fact that Anna had accepted each gesture the Prince had made and would laugh and smile along at their conversations made Elsa’s stomach turn inside out. It made Elsa want to empty out the contents of her stomach, it made Elsa want to flee to the training room to vigorously work the feeling out, it made Elsa want to head back into her bed, go under the covers and curl up into a ball.

The fact that Anna was accepting all of it made the idea of the Princess letting her go much more realistic. It made her imaginations and thoughts that she had only an hour ago much more absolute – a reality.

It was only on the third to the last dance of the night where Elsa felt her inner self break down. How it was so much easier to shut off her emotions and to simply _not feel._ The Prince was still by Anna’s side, dancing with her thirty minutes before the fireworks would go off. Elsa was supposed to finish her shift, but her conscious betrayed her decision in leaving immediately. How she wished she hadn’t listened to her conscious.

Her blue eyes focused on the couple dancing across the ballroom. The Prince was way too close to Anna for Elsa’s comfort, and Elsa should have seen the body language from a mile away as the Prince tucked a stray, auburn lock that loosened from Anna’s crown braid. She should’ve seen how the Prince had wrapped his arms around the girl’s waist as they moved across the ballroom, how he had pulled her a bit more closer to him than usual, how his green eyes behind his plain, boring mask would always shoot down to Anna’s lips.

When the Prince’s eyelids started to close, Elsa felt her heartbeat against her chest. As he leaned forward, Elsa prayed that Anna would immediately push him away.

But she didn’t. She just stood there, not fighting back his attempt to sweep her away for a kiss.

And everything in Elsa snapped.

The Protector promptly turned on her heel, her face angled downward, and her chin tucked close to her body as she immediately sprinted down the balcony and out of the ballroom. Elsa didn’t give Kallum an opportunity to ask her where she was going. She just ran, ran as fast as she can and as far as she can away from the masquerade ball and away from the girl that held her glass heart.

Elsa wasn’t aware of where her feet were exactly taking her. All she knew was that she needed to run and that she needed to be alone. She felt the overwhelming tears flow out of her crystal, blue eyes and her breathing start to become irregular, as if she was gasping for breath.

When the cool, winter wind breezed against her bare shoulders, Elsa continued out of the castle. The cold never really bothered her, and so, she kept running out of the castle and to any place that wouldn’t remind Elsa of herself and of Anna. By now, her mask had been soaked with tears while more was flowing down her eyes, through her mask and down her cheeks.

She couldn’t go to the forest because it reminded her of all the times she thought of the Princess. She couldn’t go anywhere inside the castle considering that their entire lives intermixed with one another on the castle grounds. She couldn’t go to the town square considering that they would always sit at their stupid bench in front of that stupid fountain.

Which was why Elsa had ended up in a location where the sound of the ocean had reached her ears. Looking up, Elsa realized that she was on the beach side of Arendelle near the docks. From where she stood, Elsa had a good view of Arendelle’s castle, the town and the ocean.

The Protector tried to muffle her uncontrollable sobs and regulate her turbulent breathing. Tears continuously streamed down her pale cheeks and the organ in her chest felt shattered and stomped upon. Clutching the skin that shielded her heart, Elsa felt as if a sharpened knife was being driven constantly into her chest. She felt her stomach turn inside out and her breathing continue to abnormally irregulate to the point where the Protector was hyperventilating.

The platinum-blonde haired girl was surprised that her legs had kept her up for that long. She felt her shins tremble and her knees weaken. Elsa stumbled slightly forward, barely catching herself from falling face flat.

She really needed to regulate her breathing and get herself under control, but she couldn’t. For once, Elsa couldn’t get this small factor under control.

The Protector was always so discipline and orderly. Elsa always made moves and decisions that were tactile and precise, and when she did get hurt, it never had brought her to tears as this pain did. Elsa never felt pain as intense as this. She hated how weak she felt.

Her hand gripped tightly on the skin around her heart. It hurt. It hurt so fucking much and it wasn’t something external that the Protector would easily fix. Her head started to spin, and all Elsa wanted to do was curl up in a ball and rock herself back and forth on the sand. All the Protector wanted to do was hide away and try to mend the bulldoze walls around her heart. She wanted to try pick up each and every piece, but even when she had tried do, it felt as if it only inflicted more pain upon her.

“Fuck!” Elsa screamed at the top of her lungs. “Why are you so fucking weak? Why are you so pathetic?” Tears continuously streamed down Elsa’s porcelain cheeks while she tried to catch her breath after her screams. She let out staggered, uneven breaths that were interrupted by bursts of sobs, and as much as she tried to regulate her breathing, only the sounds of her wails were released into the silent night.

Elsa’s jaw clenched, her teeth gritting together as she tried to endure the pain, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t fight this overwhelming feeling that has always seem to pester her ever since she came to the realization of her feelings for Anna. And now, the idea of losing her to someone else seemed like a reality.

The thought finally sent Elsa’s legs to weaken. Her shins felt fragile and her knees buckled forward. Elsa fell forward, ready to feel the impact of the fall that would hopefully mitigate or temporarily distract the ongoing mayhem that was occurring throughout the rest of her body and heart.

Instead, she felt familiar, slender arms wrap around her torso, catching her midway through her fall. A soft grunt was heard when the individual had caught her, but it seemed that the mysterious stranger was strong enough to hold both of them upright.

“Where have you been, love?” That familiar voice rang in Elsa’s ears. The platinum-blonde looked up through her blurry vision to meet those teal eyes that had the capability to send her to her highest and lowest point. Those teal eyes that were still hidden behind the snowflake mask, gazing deeply into Elsa’s teary, blue eyes.

Elsa’s eyes continued to downpour with tears while Anna held her in her arms, keeping the Protector at a distance where they were still able to look at each other’s facial features.

Then, the memory of Anna walking out of the dining hall with the Prince following in suit entered her mind: how the girl was guiding him to their study. The memories of the night flooded back into Elsa’s mind. The memory of the Prince dancing with Anna, making her laugh and smile, and the subtle and flirtatious touches he was making on the girl flooding into her vision. And the topper of the night, the memory of how he leaned in to kiss her, and Anna didn’t seem to retreat away from his figure.

With all the energy and strength Elsa had left in her, she quickly threw herself away from the Princess, her knees gaining temporary strength for her to barely stand on her own.

Anna looked at Elsa, her teal eyes flashing with hurt while the blonde only closed her eyes, trying her best, but failing, to regulate her breathing.

Elsa was barely to hiss out. “Just leave me alone and go back to the Prince. Go watch the fireworks with him.”

Miraculously, Elsa was able to trudge away from Anna. Of course, it was only a mere second before the redhead had grabbed Elsa’s wrist, halting her movements.

“W-What are you talking about?” Anna inquired.

Elsa wanted to let out a wry laugh, but her own body betrayed her this time as a soft sob was released. “You need to leave me alone and go back to the Prince. It’s what you want and what’s best for you.”

“And how do you know what I want?” Anna’s voice raised in agitation.

“Just leave me alone, Anna.” Elsa tried to pry her wrist away from the Princess’s grip, but it only tightened.

“No!” Anna screamed. “I’m so sick and tired of people assuming what I want and people thinking what’s best for me. Do you even know what I want, Elsa?”

Elsa released a sob that she couldn’t restrain. “Just leave me alone, Anna. Go back to him.”

“No, I’m not leaving you alone.” Anna exasperated.

All Elsa wanted was to be left alone. All she wanted was to just cry on her own, and she didn’t want anyone to see her in this weak state. “Why? Why won’t you leave me alone?” She barely yelled, her sobs interrupting her statement.

“Agh! Because I’m in love with you, stupid.” A deathly silence permeated the atmosphere for a small second, the only sounds being the erratic breathing patterns coming from both parties. Elsa turned around, her blue eyes the size of moons as it came into contact with those teal ones.

“Elsa, you’re so fucking stupid! You’re a great Protector and you’re so keen and observant and meticulous, but when it comes to your own love life, you’re so dense and oblivious to everything! God, Elsa I’ve been in love with you ever since I was eight.” Anna’s voice increased in volume, her own teal eyes glistening.

Elsa only stood there, dumbfounded and shocked, trying to digest the information that was just thrown at her.

“Ever since you left for that mission, I realized that I was so miserable without you. Then when you were ignoring me for the entire celebration, it hurt so much. I thought that I did something wrong, but then I connected the pieces together. Everything made sense, especially after that one day when you came to comfort me after I cut myself. It was only the cherry on top when I noticed my father’s pushiness to show Hans _our_ study, to which I never did for your information.” Anna’s tears started to slowly fall through her mask. The young girl sniffled slightly, taking a step closer to the blonde.

Anna closed the gap between them, placing both of her hands on the sides of Elsa’s face. The platinum-blonde haired girl still stared into those wet, teal irises, her eyes still slightly widened, but not as large as it was before now that the information had time to settle.

The Protector only sniffled as the Princess continued. “Elsa, you are the one that I want. I don’t care about any Prince or any other nobleman. You, Elsa Winters, have been the only person that I have wanted since I was eight. I love you, Elsa.”

And before Elsa could even process anything else, before the Protector had her doubts kick in, Anna leaned forward and crashed their lips together.

Elsa was pretty sure that the fireworks didn’t go off in the background, but they sure did when their lips met.

Anna held Elsa’s face close, their masks rubbed against one another. Both their eyes fluttered shut on impact of their lips.

The feel of Anna’s eager lips against hers felt soft and comforting, yet so much passion was unleashed by that single gesture. Elsa tasted the sweet strawberry and chocolate as she returned the kiss back to girl with just as much fervor. Nothing else mattered in the entire world except for the girl that her heart currently belongs to, that her heart always belongs to.

She felt a warm, fuzzy feeling build up inside of her as their kiss ensued. Elsa felt encased in everything that is Anna; from the touch of the young girl that drove her insane to Anna’s sweet strawberry scent that she could divulge herself in, Elsa was inevitably and completely lost in everything that is Anna.

The words and concerns from her father to her doubts all dissolved away. _To hell with love blinding you._ Instead, Kallum’s words echoed in her mind about having something that helps you through your day, that you can’t live without and that helps you with your drive. _Anna is my drive._

When they had finally pulled away for air, Anna leaned forward so that their foreheads rested against each other, feeling their breaths against each other’s lips as they were both gasping for air. Elsa fluttered her eyes open, unveiling her blue eyes that instantly came into contact with those intense, teal ones.

“I love you too, Anna.” When those words finally slipped out in the open to the actual person it was meant to be for, Elsa had felt an entire weight lift off her shoulders. She felt lightweight and free, and it was much more comforting at the fact that the young girl had reciprocated those feelings. _Seven Years. She’s been in love with me for seven years._

Elsa’s statement earned a small giggle from Anna and their lips to crash against each other’s once more. Elsa felt as if she was on Cloud Nine as their lips met once more, a different kind of electricity course through her veins when their lips met. A different kind of adrenaline coursed through her veins, and all Elsa knew was that this is it. This is what she has wanted all her life outside of protecting Anna.

Anna was the one to pull away and gaze deeply into her lover’s eyes, a small smile perched upon her lips as she only pulled back slightly before offering her hand to the Protector. “Would you care to dance? As I recall, you promised a last dance to each and every one of these things.” 

Elsa’s heart burgeoned as she took another look at the girl in front of her. Still in her sapphire dress and snowflake mask, Elsa noted the addition of her own, black coat around the younger girl’s shoulders. The heels that Anna had worn were abandoned somewhere in the darkness of the sand that her toes dug under. _She is the epitome of beauty, kindness and everything precious in the world… and she loves me._

“Y-Yes!” Elsa answered a bit more enthusiastically than normal. Anna emitted another giggle before taking the blonde in her arms. Elsa kicked off her own heels before the two started to sway and move around the beach, the only sounds being heard were the crashing of the waves and their own breathing.

Anna held the Protector close, taking the lead for once to each step that they took. Anna placed her chin on Elsa’s shoulders, holding her close as they continued to sway against each other under the starry night sky. Even with no music, the two were in tandem with one another.

Everything seemed so peaceful and neither loosened their hold on another. Throughout their dance, Anna would affirm her feelings for the blonde by whispering “I love you” on multiple occasions to Elsa, which the latter would reply back with a soft “I love you too.”

The feeling of being in Anna’s arms felt relieving and perfect. It felt right, just dancing with Anna as the Princess would continually profess her love for the Protector. _If I’m dreaming, please don’t wake me up._

Her thought only earned a small chuckle from the Princess. “You’re not dreaming, I hope. I pinched myself earlier to make sure that I wasn’t dreaming as well.”

Elsa let out a breath of relief as they continued to sway against each other. Before the Protector could reply, a loud boom resonated around them. The two looked up to witness fireworks start going off from the town square and the castle’s courtyard.

“Come on, let’s sit.” Anna murmured in Elsa’s ear, the younger girl already lowering herself and tugging the elder with her. The two eventually ended up sitting on the sand with Anna holding Elsa in her arms while the blonde intertwined their fingers together, finally having that familiar feeling through the touch of their hands once more.

While the two watched the fireworks, Elsa couldn’t help but glance up to admire Anna. Her blue eyes studied how those teal beauties gazed up at the fireworks in awe. Even though the firework shows were annual, it always seems to amaze the Princess.

Elsa’s blue eyes danced across the intricate mask with snowflake designs.

The platinum-blonde haired girl decided to ask. “Why the snowflake mask?”

Anna’s teal eyes glanced down momentarily at the Protector, meeting her blue, doe eyes. The Princess giggled, leaning down to place an affectionate kiss on Elsa’s forehead before shifting her eyes back up to the fireworks.

“Well, I first figured out that I fell in love with you after I had talked to that random, teenage girl in the courtyard when I was only eight. During that time, there were other visiting Royals and their kids, but I never really cared for them. All I cared about was you, and I only wanted to be with you. My conversation with this older girl made me realize that I was in love with you.”

Anna paused briefly, her raw, teal eyes looking down at Elsa’s soft, blue ones. “Then, when you came out into the courtyard from your training, my stomach felt like butterflies were fluttering around, my heart started beating quickly and suddenly against my chest, and all I thought about was you; It was what the mysterious girl described love to be. I ran right to you and it started snowing. I always associated snow with you since that day. The girl also described how snowflakes all have their own, unique pattern, and you’re that unique snowflake amidst all the others that I had fallen in love with.”

Hearing the story immensely soothed all of Elsa’s past concerns and worries. Her slender, pale fingers shot forward to slightly graze at the snowflake patterns on Anna’s mask. Meanwhile, Anna kept her gaze down at the girl, a smile reaching the ends of her face when Elsa had spoken. “I love you, Anna Arendelle.”

Anna leaned forward so that her lips ghosted above Elsa’s. “I love you too, Elsa Winters. I promise that I will always love you and only you.”

To conclude the night, Anna pressed her lips softly against Elsa’s, sealing her promise of eternal love for the Protector.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I have everything about the story planned (literally from beginning to end, its just a matter of actually writing it), so hopefully there won't be long waits in updates!


	13. Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They say thirteen is an unlucky number. I want to disagree.

Anna released a small yawn. The Princess’s arms wrapped around Elsa’s torso while they were laying in the Protector’s bed, the color of the night sky was a slightly lighter tone of blue, signaling the transition to dawn. After staying on the beach until the end of the fireworks shows, the couple headed back into the castle and stopped by Elsa’s temporary room to gather her things before heading to her actual room. The two cuddled together on the large bed, sharing kisses and giggles while Elsa had read to the girl in their usual position. The young Princess wore one of Elsa’s large shirts, admitting that she never wore her nightgown once while staying in Elsa’s room.

It only made Elsa’s heart soar.

“Baby, we have to go.” The platinum-blonde haired girl cooed, ticking Anna’s side gingerly to earn a small giggle.

“It’s so early! How do you even get up at this time on a daily basis?” She mumbled, shoving her face into the crook of Elsa’s neck.

“The earlier I get up, the faster I can get training done and the more time I can spend with you.” Elsa logically reasoned, ticking Anna’s side once again.

“I’m up, I’m up! You can stop the tickles now.” Anna giggled. The redhead pulled away from the Protector and looked up to meet the blue gaze.

Elsa looked down at the girl, admiring her in her disheveled state that she loved regardless. Elsa reached forward to pat down the frazzled, auburn hair of the Princess. Her beautiful freckles that were painted across her face were like the stars in the galaxy: something that shined so brightly and could be admired so easily. Anna’s cute, button nose that Elsa felt the need to do Eskimo kisses on, to which she did immediately after her thought, closing her eyes and leaning forward to rub her nose against the young girl’s, is something Elsa never forgot. This earned another giggle from the Princess.

When Elsa stopped her Eskimo kisses and opened her eyes, she was met with the most beautiful, brightest aquamarine beauties that she felt she could get lost into for the rest of eternity. Somewhat like an emerald with blue tones mixed into it, Elsa wouldn’t mind having those blue-green eyes be the last thing she saw before dying.

Anna leaned up, capturing Elsa’s lips with her own in a slow and sensual kiss. Anna’s arms wrapped around Elsa’s torso, pulling her closer while Elsa reached forward to cup Anna’s cheeks.

Elsa was the one that pulled away, her blue eyes fluttering open to look down at the pouting girl. The Protector brushed her fingers against the Princess’s lips before tapping her pointer finger on Anna’s nose. “We really should get going if we don’t want to miss Kallum’s departure.”

“Humph, fine, fine. I’m only doing it because I love you and we can get back to more cuddling and kissing once it’s over.” Anna grumbled, stretching her limbs out.

Elsa rolled her eyes, pulling away from the Princess before swinging her legs over the bed. “Oh shush, he’s grown on you.”

Anna stayed in bed, sitting up to stretch her body again before proceeding to rub her eyes. “He has, I must admit, but I wouldn’t get up this early for him.” The redhead watched from the bed as the Protector made her way towards her drawers. The Princess quickly swung her own legs over the bed, sneakily striding behind the blonde and wrapping her arms around her waist. She instantly leaned up, her lips right behind Elsa’s ear. “Only for you.” She whispered, sending chills down Elsa’s spine as she pulled out her usual wear.

Anna nuzzled her face into the back of Elsa’s neck. “You don’t have to wear that if we’re just sending him off and going back to bed.”

Elsa chuckled, turning around to hold the Princess in her arms. “I think it would be indecent for me to bid him goodbye in only a shirt.”

Anna shrugged her shoulders. “I’m only going in this.” Elsa’s blue eyes took a quick look over to what the Princess was wearing. When she realized that all the girl was wearing was her large shirt and underwear, Elsa shook her head.

“No, you’re definitely not wearing that.”

A small smirk made its way to Anna’s lips. “Why not? Besides, all my clothes are in my room.”

Elsa shook her head again. “Then borrow some of mine. You have no problem taking my shirts anyways.”

“It’s different.”

“How’s it different?” Elsa asked, her head cocking to the side and her eyes narrowing at the girl in front of her.

“Your outside clothes are also your training clothes and everything else clothes. That’s how people perceive you as: The Protector always wearing the light blue long sleeve and black tights. I can’t just wear your outside clothes. Plus, your shirts smell nice and they’re comfy.”\

“No, you’re changing. I am not allowing any of the guards to see you like this.” Elsa said firmly.

Anna’s smirk widened as she leaned up, her body flushed against Elsa’s front, her forearms rested against Elsa’s forearms and her hands grasped onto the Protector’s elbows. Her lips ghosted Elsa’s earlobe, and she whispered in the most playful manner. “Well, me wearing this will just show them that I’m yours and only yours. Besides, you’ll just have to be possessive and put each and every guard in their place. Take what you want, love; I am yours.”

Elsa stood there, frozen in her stance with widened eyes as Anna moved her lips right below the Protector’s ear lobe to give it a small kiss. Anna pulled away at an agonizingly slow pace, keeping her hand and arms still in the same position and looked up at Elsa, batting her long eyelashes.

The platinum-blonde girl pouted, her bottom lip jutting forward while the Princess only giggled before tiptoeing and planting a passionate kiss on the Protector’s lips.

When they pulled away, Anna’s breath ghosted on top of Elsa’s lips as she whispered, “I love you.”

The Protector fluttered her eyes opened to meet those teal-green eyes. Her lips curved upwards in a large smile, her cheeks scrunching up so that her eyes were now in the shape of crescent moons. Elsa released a small giggle, leaning forward to peck Anna’s lips. “I love you too.”

“Can we just stay here forever?” Anna whispered softly, looking up into those blue eyes that she has grown to love her entire life.

“As much as I would love to, we should say goodbye to Kallum first. I have to tell him something important, anyways.”

Anna’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Elsa pecked the girl’s lips one last time before pulling away and quickly slipping into the bathroom to change.

“What do you have to tell Kallum?” Anna asked from behind the closed bathroom door.

The sounds of more rustling was heard within the bathroom before the door swung open to reveal Elsa in her light blue long sleeve and black tights. She held her folded shirt in her hand. “I have to tell him the guard design I decided on for the sword he gifted me.”

Anna’s teal eyes followed as Elsa walked over to her bed to place the folded shirt on top. The blonde proceeded to walk over to her chair, grabbing the coat before turning around and offering her hand to the Princess. The young girl smiled brightly, skipping over to have the coat placed over her. Anna then quickly grabbed and intertwine their fingers together. Once they were linked, Elsa led the two out of her room and towards the courtyard of the castle.

“What guard design did you decide on?”

Elsa kept tugging the girl along as they walked down the dark and cold hallways of the castle. Anna felt her comforting warmth and security stemming from the only person that has been capable of providing that to her for the past fifteen years as they strolled down the halls.

“I’ll show you once it comes in.” Elsa chuckled. The two finally arrived outside, where the cool, biting wind of winter breezed against the couple. Anna hugged the coat tighter around her and leaned her body closer to Elsa’s.

The platinum-blonde haired girl only chuckled, planting a kiss at the top of Anna’s forehead before looking forward to seeing Kallum near his horse, Dusk, while talking to a few guards. The Spymaster wore his usual white button up shirt, black slacks and black coat. The Protector guided the two towards the Spymaster, who had turned around to notice the new presence of two individuals.

When his grey eyes skimmed over the couple, his lips curved upward in a small smirk. Elsa, catching on quickly to Kallum’s subtle behavior, only rolled her blue eyes as the girls closed the distance between themselves and the Spymaster.

“I thought I wasn’t going to see you, Kid. Although, I would understand why.” He said coolly. Anna’s cheeks immediately flushed as her teal eyes looked at anywhere else in embarrassment. Meanwhile, Elsa noted how the guards started to notice the presence of the Princess and proceeded to eye Anna in a predator manner.

The Protector quickly acted by releasing Anna’s hand to only wrap it around the young girl’s shoulder. Elsa pulled the girl to her side, her cold, blue eyes glaring at the guards. Knowing their place, the men’s’ eyes widened before speedily shifting their gaze away from the pair.

“So, you’re going to be gone for a week?” Anna was the first to speak up. Kallum’s grey eyes turned to the shorter girl, nodding his head in response.

“Yeah. I need to visit another Spymaster from another Kingdom regarding matters of our allies. I’ll be gone for a week.” Kallum replied. Anna only nodded her head while Elsa had released her hold on the redhead once the guards had backed off. Anna quickly acted by grabbing Elsa’s hand in ehrs.

“Safe travels, Kallum.” The Princess smiled.

“Thanks, Your Highness.” The Spymaster’s grey eyes moved to look at his apprentice.

“I won’t be slacking in my training, don’t worry.” Elsa joked. The Spymaster rolled his eyes.

“If anything, I would be concerned if you over train yourself like you did the past two weeks. Princess Anna, please make sure this maniac gets her rest.”

Anna nodded her head with a giggle. “No worries, I will.” The redhead looked between the apprentice and the teacher, reading the environment, taking a step back and releasing her hold on the apprentice. “I’ll be waiting near the doors to the castle. I’ll see you in a week, Kallum.” With that, Anna turned on her heel and started to walk away from the Protector and the Spymaster.

Once Anna was out of earshot, the Spymaster spoke. “I’m assuming all is well now. Most likely from the events of last night?”

Elsa laughed. “How did you know?”

Kallum evidently replied. “Besides your entrance this morning and your looks, her Royal Highness caused some uproar when she saw you run off while one of the Princes was trying to make his move. Let’s just say that the boy’s face was pretty messed up from the young girl after he tried kiss her and hold her back from chasing after you.”

“She’s a bit of a feisty pants.”

“I know, kid. I have been on the receiving end in the beginning of our trainings, remember?”

“Ah, right.” Elsa smiled, pondering back to the beginning of her relationship with the Spymaster.

“Do you know what you want your guard design to be?” Kallum asked, making sure Dusk was strapped and ready to go.

“I do, actually.”

Kallum raised his eyebrow at the girl. “Well, what shall it be?”

Elsa’s eyes gazed up at the sky, her lips curving slightly upward in a small smile. “A snowflake.”

“Why a snowflake?”

The Protector looked from the sky to the young girl that was standing at the front doors of the castle, teetering her body back and forth on the balls and heels of her feet.

Kallum noticed his apprentice’s actions and gave a soft but genuine laugh. “Ah, I see. I’ll make sure that the snowflake guard is done for your sword.”

Elsa’s blue eyes drifted back to the Spymaster, who was mounting onto his horse, Dusk. “Thank you, Kallum, for being a great mentor.”

The Spymaster looked down at his apprentice, a genuine smile forming on his lips. “Kid, your improvement is all because of your drive. I’ll be back in a week, and you better have not overworked yourself nor slacked off.”

“No promises.” She replied. Kallum rolled his eyes, hopping off of Dusk before making his way to stand in front of his apprentice. The Spymaster’s grey eyes narrowed at the girl, his countenance straightforward and his smile had vanished. Elsa tilted her head to the side in confusion, wondering if what she had said might have irked the Spymaster.

Instead, Kallum reached his hand forward to slightly ruffle the top of Elsa’s head. A small smile made its way back to his lips. “I’ll see you later, kid.”

Kallum turned around, hopping back on to Dusk before glancing back at his apprentice with another small smile. The brunette man guided Dusk to the front gates, commanding the guards that were traveling along with him to follow behind. With one last glance behind, the Spymaster nodded his head at Elsa and led the party away from the castle.

Elsa watched as her mentor galloped away on his horse, standing in the bitter winter wind. The blonde sensed someone approach her from behind and felt arms wrap around her waist from her side with a cheek pressed against her clothed shoulder.

Looking to her left, she saw a mess of red hair and the side profile of the Princess. Anna’s teal eyes were trained ahead, watching Kallum’s figure shrink further into the distance.

Elsa wrapped her left arm around Anna’s shoulder, pulling her closer and depositing a kiss on the top of her forehead before her own blue eyes shifted back to the horizon to watch Kallum’s deteriorating form.

“Even though he’s only going to be gone for a week, I’m going to miss his witty ass.” Anna giggled. Eventually, Kallum’s figure had completely dissipated into the horizon. Elsa turned to the girl, fully wrapping her arms around her tiny figure and pulling Anna into a warm embrace.

“Me too.” Elsa mumbled into the girl’s strawberry blonde hair.

It was going to be different without the Spymaster’s presence. Elsa had to admit, at first, she didn’t really care for the man and his phlegmatic attitude, but once she started to become trained under him on a daily basis, the blonde was able to see tiny slivers of Kallum’s personality that he didn’t seem to show to anyone else. The Spymaster quickly opened up to his apprentice, and eventually, due to the Princess’s bond with the Protector, had also opened up to Anna as well.

Kallum was seen as an intelligent, composed and impassive individual to the eyes of all. He showed no emotion, not a single smile or sliver of anger, seemingly placid with walls built up around his true personality. Kallum grew up as an orphan, sustaining off of the riches that his parents had left behind for him.

Now, Elsa looked forward to her trainings with Spymaster Kallum. She looked forward to how the Spymaster would tease her about her stoic personality or her infatuation with the Princess. She looked forward to seeing him each day, hearing his chuckle while Elsa would try so hard to match his skill level.

_It’s only a week. If we were able to survive that ambush from that one escort mission, I’m sure that he will be fine. Besides, he is THE Spymaster of Arendelle. He’ll be back._

Elsa snapped out of her trance when she felt a slight tug at the end of her long sleeve shirt. Anna looked up at her, eyes filled with concern.

“I’m just going to miss seeing him every day, that’s all.” Elsa quelled Anna’s solicitous thoughts.

The Princess nodded her head, offering her lover a small smile. “Me too. He was the one that helped keep me slightly sane by talking to me an hour each day about your well-being the entire time. But don’t worry, he’ll be back soon.”

Elsa’s eyes slightly widened at the confession that Anna had made. _I wasn’t aware that Kallum would go out of his way to talk to the Princess every day from that two-week fiasco._

“Come on, let’s get back to bed and get some rest. Then maybe later, we can go to our study and read?” Anna asked, her teal eyes filled with sanguineness.

“Okay, let’s go.” Elsa said, planting one last kiss on the young girl’s forehead before intertwining their hands together and guiding them back to her bedroom.

* * *

As planned, the couple had gone back to the bedroom to catch up on much needed sleep before heading to the dining hall. The couple had breakfast brought to them by Gerda upon request, wanting to avoid seeing any other Royals from visiting Kingdoms in the dining hall.

Anna and Elsa had breakfast in bed, feeding each other fruits and pastries while Anna would occasionally exchange kisses with the Protector. Once breakfast was done, the couple bounded for their study, where they had read the entire time on the beanbags.

Anna leaned her head against Elsa’s shoulder, her face nuzzled into the elder’s neck while the latter continued to read from the novel in her hands. The platinum-blonde read aloud, enjoying Anna’s arms wrapped around her shoulders, the younger girl’s hand toying with the Protector’s loose braid.

Elsa abruptly stopped reading when she felt something wet against the column of her neck. The Protector’s breath hitched against her throat and her blood started pumping aggressively through her veins when she felt Anna’s soft lips nibble on her neck.

“Why’d you stop reading?” Anna paused her ministrations to whisper into Elsa’s neck. “Keep reading.” She commanded. Elsa only nodded her head, continuing to read at a much languid pace.

Anna continued nibble on the older girl’s neck. The Protector released a breathy moan midway-through reading a passage when Anna’s lips had brushed over a specific spot. Noting the area, the young Princess continued her actions by sucking on the area, lightly grazing her teeth at that exact spot.

Elsa tightened her lips together, muffling another moan while her neck instinctually bent to enable Anna more room to continue her devious behavior. Anna’s arms unraveled around Elsa’s neck; one arm relocated to wrap around the Elsa’s mid-back while Anna’s other free hand slyly made its way on top of Elsa’s breast.

“A-Ah-na.” Elsa barely breathed, feeling Anna’s hand slowly massage her right breast over her long sleeve. The redhead placed a single small kiss on the sensitive area of Elsa’s neck before leaning towards the Protector’s lips to have their lips meets in a passionate kiss.

“Yes?” Anna whispered, pulling away from Elsa, who was trying to catch her breath. Lustful, dark teal eyes met with aroused, bright blue ones. The platinum-blonde haired girl felt her heartbeat against her chest.

“W-What a-are we?” Elsa replied. _God, you really are an idiot for asking a question like that in a moment like this._

The Protector was expecting confusion or reluctancy from Anna, but the Princess gave Elsa an affectionate smile and another brief, doting kiss to the blonde’s lips. The redhead pulled away slightly, shifting her hand that was resting on top of Elsa’s breast to play with the loose strands of hair on the nape of the Protector’s neck.

“Well, I really love you… a lot. I don’t want to be with anyone else but you, and I really just want you all to myself. I love everything about you, from your breathtaking beauty to your genuine and altruistic personality. I was planning to ask you later tonight with chocolates while we star-gaze, but would you want to be exclusive with me? I want you to be my girlfriend and I want us to be in a courtship. When I said I really only want you, I genuinely meant it, Elsa.” Anna’s teal eyes bore into the inquisitive, blue ones. The younger girl’s teal eyes were full of compassion, love and admiration.

Anna further explained. “Of course, please don’t feel pressured. I don’t know if this is too much or too fast for you and I’d understand because it’s a huge commitment. I just… I’ve loved you for seven years and I’m still in love with you, Elsa Winters. I will wait a lifetime for you if you’re not ready just yet because you’re worth it. You’re worth the entire universe and beyond, darling.”

Elsa sat there, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape in shock. Anna nervously bit her bottom lip, her confidence faltering as she tried to look anywhere but at the Protector. To try and fill in the awkward silence, the young girl continued.

“Really, don’t feel pressured at all or anything. I don’t know, I just thought that because we love each other that it could happen. But also, huge commitment, I get it and – “The auburn-haired girl was cut off from her rant when Elsa crashed her lips against the girl’s, halting herself from saying anything further.

When the couple finally pulled away, Anna’s teal eyes slowly opened halfway and shined with love. “Wow, okay, uhm I wouldn’t mind being shut up like that.”

Elsa laughed heartedly in response, leaning in to place another brief kiss on the redhead’s lips. “Anna Arendelle, I would love to be given the honor to enter a courtship with you and be your girlfriend. I love you with all my heart.”

Anna’s lips curved upward in a gigantic smile, her teeth baring at the gesture. Her teal eyes flooded with jubilance and in one, quick swoop, the young girl caught the Protector’s lips in another passionate kiss.

Before the gesture could advance any further, a few knocks were rapped against the door to their study. Elsa pulled away slightly, leaning her forehead against Anna’s and staring into those teal eyes fluttering open from their kiss.

“I love you.” Elsa whispered softly, leaning forward for another quick peck before pulling away and calling for the individual to come in.

Anna sat on the Protector’s lap, her back facing the door on the beanbags as she was in a brief daze. Anna shook her head quickly, pouting at the blonde while the door creaked open to the right to present Gerda.

The woman turned to her left, raising her eyebrow at the compromising position that she saw the two in. Gerda’s brown eyes studied Elsa’s features, eyes narrowing at the red, swollen lips. A small smirk made its way towards her lips as she breathed a “finally”, which only earned a small eye roll from the Protector.

Anna didn’t turn around, but only nuzzled her face into Elsa’s neck to have her handle the unwanted guest.

“Your Highness, you are expected for lunch.” Gerda made her presence to the Princess.

“Gerda, do we necessarily have to? The celebrations are over, and I’m sure my parents would be fine in the company of the remaining guests.”

Gerda shook her head, an action that the Princess couldn’t see. “I’m sorry, Your Highness, but it was on your parents request that you are needed at lunch.”

Elsa felt the vibrations of Anna’s groan in response. “Fine. Elsa and I will be down shortly.”

Gerda gave a slight bow, sending the Protector another wink before closing the door behind her from the study.

Elsa opened her mouth, intending to tell the younger girl that they should head out when she felt Anna nibble the spot that sent shivers down the elder’s spine. Instead of coherent words coming out, Elsa released a breathy moan when Anna’s teeth grazed the same spot. The young girl started to suck and bite the area, and it took every ounce of willpower for the Protector to pull away from the Princess.

“Ah-Anna… w-we sh-should get going.” The platinum blonde barely breathed out.

Anna looked up from her current position, her teal eyes meeting the blue ones that betrayed their own words and statement. Anna’s teal eyes looked back down at Elsa’s neck, nodding her head as a small smirk made its way to her lips.

The Princess pulled away and slid off of Elsa’s lap. The Protector was about to stand when Anna leaned forward, her feet still planted to the ground while her hands fell onto Elsa’s thighs to pin her down with her weight. The young girl’s teal eyes gleamed with mischief. Anna’s mouth moved so that her lips brushed against the lobe of Elsa’s right ear. With a small nibble, Elsa had reacted pleasantly with a small tremble that resonated throughout her body.

Anna proceeded to whisper in the Protector’s ear. “We will take a break for now. Let’s get going, and don’t be embarrassed. I had to mark and claim what _is mine._ ”

With that, Anna pulled away slowly from Elsa, her face mere inches away from the Protector’s. Elsa’s blue eyes widened slightly, following Anna’s movements and watched Anna bit her bottom lip while her teal eyes gazed down at Elsa’s lips.

Anna retracted her hands away and stood up, offering the Protector her hand. “Shall we go, babe?”

The platinum-blonde haired girl quickly shook herself back to reality. Elsa reached forward with her right hand, feeling her fingertips meet with Anna’s. The redhead immediately intertwined their fingers together before pulling the Protector up from the beanbags.

Anna took the lead, guiding the couple out of their study and down a path that Elsa hadn’t gone down for the past two and a half weeks. Once they had left the East Wing, Anna had repositioned herself so that their hands were still clasped together, but the young girl leaned her body against Elsa’s side, wrapping her other arm around Elsa’s right arm.

As the two strolled through the castle halls, they received surprised gazes from some guests and pleased ones from the workers or other guests. Eventually, the pair arrived at the dining hall, the doors already wide open and guests already seated, eating and mingling with one another.

At the head of the table was King Agnarr with Queen Iduna to the right. As if it was expected, Anna’s and Elsa’s usual seat to the table were vacant. The couple made their way towards their seats, and once they arrived, Elsa pulled the chair out for the Princess. Anna gave Elsa thankful smile and prior to taking her seat, Anna quickly leaned forward to peck Elsa’s lips.

Elsa, caught off guard by Anna’s public display of affection, stood there with wide eyes. Thankfully, she quickly snapped back to her senses before pushing the chair in and taking her own seat. As soon as Elsa did take her seat, the affectionate redhead scooted her chair closer to the Protector so that their thighs were brushed against one another. Anna quickly grabbed Elsa’s hand, intertwining their fingers together and offering the blonde a comforting smile before turning towards her parents.

King Agnarr sat there, mouth agape and green eyes the size of moons at what had just unfolded. Meanwhile, Queen Iduna had a satisfied smirk on her face as she took a sip of wine.

“Good afternoon, Your Majesties.” Elsa greeted.

“Good afternoon mother, father.” Anna followed, leaning her head against Elsa’s shoulder and eyeing her parents.

Queen Iduna pulled the wine of glass away from her lips, a satisfied smile still framed her face as she greeted her daughter and Elsa. The brunette woman turned towards her husband, slightly nudging him out of his shocked trance.

The King snapped back into reality, cleared his throat and greeted his daughter and Elsa as well.

Silence momentarily filled the room while the four were served their lunch. Once the workers had left, King Agnarr was the first to speak up.

“When did this happen?”

It was a basic and expected question, and yet, Elsa felt anxious at even answering it considering that she had disobeyed the King if she were to answer it truthfully. Anna gave Elsa a reassuring squeeze before answering.

“Sort of last night after I threw a tantrum and left the ball. Everything was made official, courting and title wise, this morning.” The reply only earned a small snicker from Queen Iduna, who turned to her husband with a triumphant smile.

“I told you dear that it wouldn’t be long.”

Anna’s eyebrows furrowed. She eyed her two parents in a confusion.

King Agnarr sighed, a small frown perched upon his face as he mumbled. “I was hoping you would wait it out until after we left.”

“What are you two talking about?” Anna asked, confusion etched across her features while Elsa sat there with the same confusion filling her countenance.

“Your father and I knew that you and Elsa would eventually court each other. I just bet in the span of two days after the ball while your father bet after we had left to Corona.” Queen Iduna said smugly.

“Excuse me?” Anna inquired.

King Agnarr turned to his daughter with a small smile. “Dear, it was obvious from your mother and I how much you loved Elsa. So, we made a bet during her mission to see how long it would take for the both of you to get together.”

Elsa sat there, frozen and in shock while Anna only pouted at her parents. “Wait but what about your attempts on setting me up with a potential suitor and everything?”

King Agnarr was the one to reply. “We wanted to make sure that you still had your options available. Of course, even with my request to Elsa in avoiding you.” The King sent an apologetic look to the Protector before continuing. “Your heart still yearned for her.”

“Honey, we don’t care who you love or end up with in the end. All we have ever wanted was for you to be happy with someone you love.” Queen Iduna said.

“I was just hoping you would confess and become official _after_ we left for Corona so that I could have won the bet.” The King grumbled, taking a sip of his wine.

“So… you’re okay with this?” Anna asked hesitantly, eyeing her parents in both shock and disbelief.

Queen Iduna smiled at her daughter. “Of course, we are, dear.”

King Agnarr’s green eyes shifted towards the Protector, who sat there, looking at her lap. “Elsa.” The Protector looked up, her icy blue eyes meeting with the King’s green ones. King Agnarr emitted a sigh. “I’m sorry for making you follow through with my request. I know how hard it was for you, but I just wanted to make sure that Anna was given possible paths that she could take. I had no doubt in mind that she would choose you after the day in the study.”

“Thank you, your Majesties.” Elsa offered a small smile.

Anna stood there, eyes shining bright with cheerfulness. “Thanks Ma and Pa.” The two Royals only offered their daughter a smile in response. Anna’s cheerful countenance transitioned to confusion once again. “Wait, before we leave?”

The King was the one to reply. “Yes. Your mother and I will be leaving tomorrow morning to head to Corona. They need us for some sort of urgent meeting. Sir Brandon will also escort us in our journey there.”

“What about all the guests?” Anna inquired.

“They should all be gone by tonight. We made it urgent that we had to leave for Corona after last night.” King Agnarr answered.

“Great!” Anna said far too enthusiastically. Queen Iduna raised an eyebrow at her daughter, which caused those teal eyes to roll. “No more Princes and Nobles running around this castle.”

The brunette woman only giggled. “So, tell us how this happened?”

* * *

After the couple spent the remainder of the day in their study and dining with Anna’s parents, they had called it a night in Elsa’s bedroom. Anna showered and changed in the Protector’s suite while the young girl was writing up on her weekly letter for the Princess.

As Elsa sat in her chair, scribbling down words that popped into her head, she felt arms wrap around her shoulders and a chin rest on top of her head.

The platinum-blonde haired girl immediately stopped writing to quickly flip over the page. “No peeking.” The Protector scolded. She knew well that the Princess was pouting.

“I mean, you’re going to give it to me anyways.” The Princess started.

Elsa turned her body and shifted her head, causing Anna to withdraw her chin from the top of the Protector’s head. The blonde tilted her head up, her blue eyes meeting with the teal ones that were already glinting with mischief.

“No, patience is virtue.” Elsa scolded. The Princess rolled her eyes before walking over to take a seat on Elsa’s lap, swinging both of her legs to the sides of the elder’s lap.

The Princess leaned forward, her lips ghosting over Elsa’s. Her teal eyes closed halfway through, studying how Elsa’s stopped breathing for a moment and how her blue eyes stared down at Anna’s lips. “Darling, if I recall, I told you that we were only taking a break from earlier this morning.”

And did Elsa just want to lean forward to capture those soft lips into her own. As Elsa inched closer, Anna suddenly pulled away with a small smirk on her lips.

“But you should shower first before you join me in bed.” Anna said smugly, quickly hopping off the Protector’s lap.

Elsa sat there in stupor for a moment while her blue eyes gazed at Anna. The Princess, dressed in Elsa’s oversized shirt, winked at the elder before turning to head towards the bed, her hips swinging seductively with each step that she took.

_Well shit._

The young girl turned around, her eyes shining with pure seduction while she bit her bottom lip.

_Double shit._

Elsa immediately stood from her chair and scrambled to get her necessary shower items before running into the bathroom. With the slam of the bathroom door in her hastened state, Anna released an angelic giggle while she waited for her lover to return.

Eventually, the two ended up snuggled in Elsa’s bed. Or well, snuggling wouldn’t describe the full extent of what the two were doing.

Currently, Anna was on top of Elsa, her hands roaming on top of the Protector’s body as her lips nipped and bit all around Elsa’s neck. Meanwhile, one of Elsa’s hands were running through Anna’s auburn tresses while the other was toying with the hem of Anna’s shirt (or Elsa’s shirt?).

Anna’s lips made its way towards Elsa’s ear, nibbling again at the ear lobe that caused the reputable, strong Protector to turn into mush under the Princess. The Princess breathily whispered into Elsa’s ear. “Baby, I am yours. Take what is yours, mark me as yours and only yours.”

Anna proved so by guiding Elsa’s hand that was on the hem of her shirt and tugging it upward. Anna’s half-lidded teal eyes gazed into the wanton, blue ones. The redhead gave a small nod to the Protector, quelling the girl’s hesitancy before she leaned forward to capture Elsa’s lips in a sanguine kiss.

Elsa reciprocated and gently switched their positions so that she was now hovering over the Princess. While Elsa’s hair was in her classic, loose braid, Anna’s auburn tresses splayed against the pillows of the bed. Her blue eyes noted how Anna’s lips were red and swollen, and how her chest was heaving as she was trying to catch her breath.

Anna grabbed Elsa’s hands, guiding them back to the hem of the shirt she was wearing. The Princess leaned up to whisper once again in Elsa’s ear, her wispy voice causing warmth to spread in between Elsa’s legs. “Make me yours, babe.”

Elsa’s heart hammered against her chest as her hands reached the hem of Anna’s shirt. She lifted her shirt off of Anna’s body and carelessly threw it somewhere in the room. When blue eyes roamed Anna’s body, she had completely forgotten to breathe. Since they were in their pajamas, it seemed that Anna was only left in her panties, making the Protector’s head spin as she inspected the freckled-covered body.

Unfortunately, due to Elsa’s tendency to take a while to react, Anna cowered slightly and used her arms to try cover herself. When blue eyes immediately snapped to teal, she could see the insecurity that started to lace those usual, confident eyes.

To solve it, Elsa placed her hand on Anna’s forearms and leaned in to capture her lips in a kiss. “Anna, you look beautiful. Please, don’t hide yourself. I was just shocked because I realized that you are finally all mine, and I felt as if this entire thing wasn’t real.”

Elsa’s fingers snaked around Anna’s forearms that started to loosen around her body. Meanwhile, Elsa’s lips started to make its way down the column of Anna’s neck and to her ear. The Protector huskily whispered. “You’re beautiful and breathtaking inside and out. I love every curve to your body and every freckle that is painted throughout. Now, as you mentioned, I want to be able to mark what is mine if the offer is still open.”

Anna loosened her arms around her body, enabling Elsa to gently pry Anna’s arms away from her body and admire her once again. Elsa admired each and every freckle, her mouth open in awe for a second before she remembered what she needed to do.

The blonde leaned forward to place a kiss on top of Anna’s left breast, right above her heart. Elsa’s blue eyes looked up to notice those teal ones gazing down at her with _this look._ This look that Elsa has been craving for, wanting, dreaming this entire time. And now, she’s finally got it, she’s finally got something that she actually wanted.

Elsa made her way up towards Anna’s neck, where the Protector started peppering kisses in the area, grazing her teeth in addition to elicit moans from the girl beneath her that sent heat in the center of Elsa’s legs. God, those little noises that came out from Anna _literally_ drove her _insane._

The Protector continued her assault on the Princess’s neck until she was able to find _the spot._ The spot where she used her trained hearing to realize that Anna’s breathing patterns were significantly different when her teeth grazed that spot. The spot that the Princess was receptively reacting to in the best manner possible when Elsa started to nibble in that area.

She was determined to make sure that everyone in the entire Kingdom knew that Anna was hers and only hers.

Elsa sucked and bit the area, earning breathy and soft moans from the girl beneath her who had gripped onto the former’s shoulders. Once the deed was done, Elsa deposited a finishing kiss before pulling away to admire her work. She knew that the following morning, Elsa would make the girl wear something to cover it up just for reputable purposes, but it was comforting to know that it was because of her.

Anna’s hands reached down to the hem of Elsa’s shirt, tugging at it with a small whimper. “Please.”

Blue met teal for the millionth time that day. Elsa gazed into the shining want, the _need_ that the younger girl was exuding in those eyes. Those eyes that were usually a teal green to a much darker shade of teal green, somewhat resembling the shade of certain leaves in the forest. Giving Anna a affirming nod, the Princess wasted no haste in removing the shirt off of the Protector, leaving the blonde in only her underwear.

The moment Elsa’s breast was free from the confines of her shirt, Elsa didn’t know that those teal irises can grow a shade darker. The Princess’s delicate hands slid upwards from the toned stomach to the Protector’s full breast, leaving her hands on top and giving a small squeeze, earning a moan from the girl that was hovering on top of her.

Before Anna could push any further, Elsa grabbed both of her wrists and pinned them on top of Anna’s head. The Protector leaned her body weight down, tired of having to hold herself up with one arm and positioned herself so that her thigh came into contact with the redhead’s center, instantly feeling the moistness through the remaining piece of fabric.

Elsa hovered her own center above Anna’s thigh, knowing full well how the boost of cockiness would turn the tables if the young girl did discover how aroused she was.

“It’s not your turn yet, love.” Elsa teased with a small smirk. Anna was heavily breathing below the Protector, her half-lidded teal eyes gazing at the Protector. Elsa grinded her thigh on top of Anna’s center, eliciting a loud moan from the girl beneath her.

The Protector trailed kisses from her mark on Anna’s neck down to her breast, where Elsa started peppering kissing along the mounds of the girl below her. Elsa reached forward, using one hand to massage one breast while her mouth was peppering kissing around the areola of the other.

When Elsa’s tongue slightly flicked at the hardened bud, Anna mewled in response. Feeling her own boost of confidence, Elsa continued her ministrations on the Princess’s breast while toying with the other hardened bud between her forefinger and thumb.

Although, in the midst of Anna’s squirming, the top of Anna’s thigh came into contact with Elsa’s center, proving Elsa’s assumptions to be true when the young girl had received a sudden surge of power to flip them over.

The redhead towered over Elsa, her auburn hair falling to the side of her shoulder while the ends tickled the top of Elsa’s chest. The Protector looked up at Anna with blue eyes wide in amazement and shock. Anna smirked. Pinning down Elsa’s wrist with extraordinary strength.

“My turn.” Anna growled before diving right into Elsa’s neck. Elsa squirmed under Anna’s touch as the redhead trailed kisses from Elsa’s neck down to her breast. Just as Elsa had done mere seconds ago, Anna shifted her attention towards Elsa’s full breast, peppering kisses on one while massaging the other with her hand.

The young girl would alternate between the two, flicking the hardened bud with her tongue or applying pressure with the pad of her thumb on the other. Elsa also noted how Anna would purposely grind her thigh into Elsa’s center, making the strong-willed Protector a squirming mess, catching her breath while releasing long, soft moans.

“You’re so wet for me, baby.” Anna murmured. The redhead started trailing kisses down Elsa’s toned abdomen, her auburn locks gliding down with Anna’s movements until she reached the top of the blonde’s pelvis. Her hands reached towards the hem of the platinum-blonde haired girl’s underwear. Anna’s teal eyes glanced back up, meeting Elsa’s icy blue eyes stare down at her with expectancy, the Protector’s chest heaving.

With that, Anna pulled the piece of fabric that separated her eyes from admiring the Protector in all of her beauty. Anna bit her lip when she realized that Elsa, the love of her life, the girl of her dreams, was laying nude right in front of her. Before Anna could say a single thing, the Protector quickly flipped them over once again, her body hovering on top of the Princess.

“Patience is virtue, love.” With that, Elsa dove in to plant slow and sensual kisses down Anna’s body until she reached the center of her legs, where she could smell the actual arousal that was hiding behind those undergarments. To further her teasing, Elsa hovered her breath over Anna’s center, blowing a hot breath before moving to one of her thighs, where she pressed kisses along the inner part of it.

Elsa would bite, lick and suck at Anna’s inner thigh before shifting towards the other thigh to give the same attention, stopping at Anna’s center to release another hot breath.

“E-Elsa, please.” Anna quivered. Elsa’s blue eyes looked up to meet those doting, teal ones. The platinum-blonde’s shaky hands made its way to the hem of her panties.

“Are you sure?” Elsa whispered, her voice soft and feathery while Anna only nodded her head. With that small affirmation, Elsa carefully pulled down Anna’s underwear, revealing the girl in all her glory and beauty.

_And holy shit, she is the most beautiful being on the planet._

Elsa seemed to have stop breathing, her blue eyes wide in admiration and shock as her eyes soaked in the naked girl laying in _her_ bed. From the freckles that painted her body like the stars in a galaxy, to her perfect, round breasts to her glistening folds, Elsa wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

“P-Please, Elsa I need you.” Anna whimpered. The Protector’s blue eyes met with the teal ones, falling into the swirl of emotions that those teal eyes radiated: lust, love, affection, want, desire and trust.

_Trust._

Elsa moved her body back up so that her face was hovering over Anna’s. Elsa leaned her body in, her knee against the mattress in between Anna’s legs while her hands brushed against her center, instantly feeling the wetness while the Princess closed her eyes upon impact.

Anna whimpered again, thrusting her pelvis upward to have Elsa’s fingers completely pressed against her wet folds.

“Are you sure, love?” Elsa asked, her fingers still and frozen while Anna was trying to grind against them. Anna’s eyelids fluttered open, her teal eyes displaying those same emotions that made Elsa’s insides turn into mush and her heart beat quickly against her chest.

“I’m sure.” Anna replied. Elsa nodded her head, leaning forward to capture Anna’s lips with hers.

“I love you.”

Anna smiled up at the Protector at her confession. “I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments and support! It really means a lot to me. Hehe this was very cheesy, but don't worry, things will happen.


	14. Prove Me Wrong

Elsa yawned, stretching out her body and looking towards the sky to note that the sun had not risen yet. Elsa looked down to note Anna’s nude body was pressed against her side, the young girl using her exposed breast as a pillow.

As much as the Protector did not want to wake the girl, she did have a few things that she wanted to do with her.

Elsa ran a hand through Anna’s messy, auburn hair, untangling the knots gently with her fingers. The Protector leaned forward to place a small kiss on the top of Anna’s forehead before shaking her shoulder with the hand that was running through her hair.

“Love, wake up.” Elsa whispered.

Anna groaned, barely opening one eye to cast a look at Elsa before closing it once again.

“The sky isn’t awake.” Anna grumbled.

“Isn’t that the point of why we must get up?” Elsa chuckled.

Anna shook her head in response. “Five more minutes.”

“It wasn’t my idea to get up this early, love. If it was my choice, I’d rather we just stay in this bed forever.”

Elsa’s response was what prompted Anna to groan, pull away from her place on Elsa’s chest and stretch her body out. “Okay, okay, I’m up. Knowing you, you would let us skip this morning’s excursion just for my sleep.” Anna sat on up the bed, the covers barely covering her chest.

Elsa laughed, sitting up and leaning forward to place a chaste kiss on Anna’s lips. “I’m going to get changed, okay?”

Anna hummed in response. Elsa slipped out of the bed, her pale, nude body glowing from the moonlight that infiltrated through the window. Anna’s teal eyes followed with hunger as Elsa opened her drawer to pull out her blue long-sleeve and black tights.

Anna swung her legs over the bed, wrapping the blanket over her body before striding her way over to Elsa. The redhead wrapped the blanket around both of their bodies before pressing her own, nude front behind the Protector’s and wrapping her arms around her waist. Anna placed a small kiss on the bare shoulder that was not occupied by her typical, loose braid.

“Anna…” Elsa started. The young girl shook her head against the bare shoulder, inhaling the vanilla-snow scent she grew to love.

“I know, I know. Can’t I just be close to you and hold you for a bit?” Anna murmured, her hands roaming across Elsa’s toned stomach.

Elsa laughed, turning around to look down at the girl. Anna’s hands start roaming downwards. “We have the rest of our lives to do that.”

Anna gave a light squeeze on Elsa’s butt. “Hmmm, I guess.”

The Protector leaned down to place another sweet kiss on the Princess’s lips before pulling away from the girl. “I should get changed, and you should too. We’re going to miss the sunrise.” Elsa declared. The platinum-blonde slipped away from Anna’s grasp to quickly change into her clothes.

Anna pouted, reaching over to grab the pair of clothes that she had brought over from her room the night before: a simple, olive green turtleneck with black pants. Once Anna changed, she looked over to see that Elsa was already dressed and making the bed.

The redhead walked over to the chair that was occupied by Elsa’s black coat. Anna grabbed and wore the coat, her sinuses immediately filled with Elsa’s scent that she loves dearly. The Princess hugged the coat closer to her body with a small smile.

“Are you ready to go?” Anna’s eyes shot up to see Elsa leaning against the edge of her bed, offering her hand with a chivalrous smile.

Anna nodded her head, reaching forward to intertwine their fingers before Elsa led them out of her room and into the castle halls.

Elsa guided the two down the dark, empty hallways. On occasions, they would find a lone maid scurrying along, but for the most part, it was only them. The Protector led the way, guiding the pair out of the East Wing and towards the West Wing. After scaling a few flights of stairs and continuing down different halls, they eventually arrived at a door with a single flower engraved in the middle of the door.

The Protector glanced at the Princess, giving her a soft smile before pushing the door open. Beyond the door was a simple room decorated with an abundance of plants, from potted plants to plants that were against the walls. The wall that was directly in front of them was completely glass, showcasing the ocean and a hill. In front of the glass wall was a laid out, red-and-white checkered blanket with a picnic basket on top.

Anna looked around the room in awe. “What is this?”

“It’s sort of like an indoor garden, so to speak. This is where the Chef grows some of his herbs and certain crops. There are also other flowers grown here too. It has a beautiful view of the sunrise since it faces the west.” Elsa said. The blonde tugged the girl towards the blanket, taking a seat and patting the empty space next to her.

Anna looked down at the set up. “When did you do this? How?” The Princess was still speechless. Elsa smiled up at the girl before averting her attention back to the picnic basket as she pulled a few things out from it: pastries, strawberries, blueberries and a canteen that was filled with hot chocolate.

“While I had to avoid you for those two weeks, I got closer with the Chef. He told me that I can use this place whenever I want, and he was the one that helped me with setting it up before we arrived.” Elsa answered. The Protector looked back up to see Anna still standing, looking at all the plants around the room. “Are you going to take a seat, love?”

Anna turned her attention back to Elsa. With a single nod, Anna sat down on the blanket and looked out to see the sky starting to slowly transition into a lighter shade of blue. “You didn’t have to do this, Elsa.”

The Protector shrugged her shoulders, pouring the steaming hot chocolate into two separate cups. “I wanted to. Besides, it’s nice to be able to watch the sunrise without having to also train. I figured that since this is one of our free mornings, why not spend it beyond just watching the sunrise?” Elsa handed Anna the cup of hot chocolate.

Anna accepted it with a smile, taking it with both of her hands. Prior to taking a sip, Anna leaned forward to place a kiss on Elsa’s cheek. “Thank you for being so thoughtful.”

Elsa’s face deepened with a light tint of pink before she took a sip of her own hot chocolate. “It’s the least I can do for you.” Her blue eyes down casted to the blanket. “I’m sorry that I can’t really give you anything else. All I can really do is these little things, and all I can give you is my love.” A frown made its way towards the Protector’s countenance.

Anna shook her head, scooting closer so that her thighs were brushed against Elsa’s. The Princess used one hand to grab Elsa’s chin, shifting her head so that her teal eyes can meet those blue ones. When she did so, Anna saw the pure vulnerability and dejection that radiated off of those cerulean she always loved to gaze into.

“I don’t want anything else, nor do I care for anything else. All I want is your love, Elsa, because your love is more than enough.” Anna assured, leaning forward to capture Elsa’s soft lips with hers.

Elsa reciprocated the kiss, leaning forward while using her free hand to wrap around Anna’s waist and pull her even closer.

Anna was the one to pull away from the kiss, looking up at the Protector with eyes full of adoration. “I love you.”

Elsa nodded her head, leaning her forehead against Anna’s while her baby blue eyes gazed into the aquamarine ones. “I love you too.”

Anna used her regal, commanding tone. “Now, as Princess, I command you to feed me some fruit.”

Elsa rolled her eyes, her lips curving upward simultaneously. Elsa placed her hot chocolate on the blanket and used her other hand to grab a strawberry. She brought it up to Anna’s lips. “Say ah.”

Anna opened her mouth, taking a bite of the strawberry and tasting the sweetness gush onto her taste buds. The younger girl closed her eyes, savoring the flavor and giving a content hum.

“It tastes better having it be fed by you.” Anna declared. Elsa chuckled at the girl, using her hand that was wrapped around Anna’s waist to tickle her side.

“You’re such a charmer, aren’t you?” Elsa retaliated while Anna giggled at Elsa’s ministrations.

The rest of their time there consisted of Elsa feeding Anna fruits and pastries. While Anna would enjoy the food fed to her, Elsa would follow up by taking bites of the fruits and pastries as well. The two sat on the blanket, Anna cuddled up to Elsa’s side with both hands still wrapped around her hot chocolate that she would take occasional sips of while Elsa still had her arm wrapped around Anna’s waist.

When the sunlight started to peak through the horizon, both girls turned their attention to admire the transition of the sky. Elsa felt her heart start racing when Anna leaned her head against her shoulder. Anna’s strawberry scent invaded into Elsa’s sense of smell, and it just felt so surreal for the both of them to be in this moment. In fact, Elsa wouldn’t mind doing this every morning with the young girl.

It seemed that Anna also had thought the same when she spoke up. “I really like watching sunrises with you. I never realized how beautiful they can be.”

Elsa looked down at the girl that was leaning against her shoulder, and she felt her heart burst out of her chest when she truly saw the girl at that moment. The soft rays of the sunrise radiated and complimented Anna’s face. Her teal eyes sparkled from the sunrise while her auburn hair seemingly glowed from the natural light. The Princess looked so heavenly and magical beyond this world, the current state that she was in was peaceful yet delighted. Even though the Princess had the capability to always take Elsa’s breath away, at this current moment, Elsa wished she could take a picture within her mind of this single moment.

“They are indeed.” Elsa breathed, her blue eyes no longer gazing at the transitioning horizon. Meanwhile, Anna’s teal eyes only stared ahead, a small, soft, tender smile perched upon her lips.

“Promise me that we would have this type of mornings at least once a month?” Anna asked.

Elsa nodded her head, placing a kiss on the top of Anna’s head. “I promise you that we will. How about we watch them on this numeric day of each month?”

“That sounds wonderful.”

The two stayed in that position, Anna watching the sunrise while Elsa was admiring the girl snuggled up against her until the sun had fully risen.

Once the sky had finally awoken, Elsa emitted a small sigh. “We should send off your parents and my father for their journey to Corona.”

“Right, they’re leaving today.” Anna stated, finally looking up from her position to meet those blue eyes that she has adored her entire life.

Elsa pulled away from the girl, dusting off her pants before extending a hand for her to stand. Anna smiled at the chivalrous action, accepting the Protector’s hand and feeling her body be pulled up by the older girl.

Once the Princess stood up, Elsa bent down to fold the blanket and neatly pack the remaining contents. Elsa grabbed the basket and blanket with one hand, standing back up to use her other hand to grab onto Anna’s hand.

“Mind if we stop by the kitchen to drop this off before we send your parents off?” Elsa asked. Anna only nodded her head with a smile as the two left the indoor garden.

* * *

“Safe travels.” Anna said, hugging her mother and father, who returned the hug to their only child.

The cool, sea breeze blew through the Protector’s platinum-blonde wisps.

They had decided that it was best for Anna to bid her parents goodbye before they headed on their ship.

Elsa stood to the side on the dock, watching her lover bid her parents goodbye for their journey. The couple still wore the same attire that they had earlier this morning, with the addition of Elsa’s sword on her belt. Next to the young Protector was her father, who also gave the Royal family their space.

Elsa’s father was the first to speak up. “I expect for you to do your duty and protect Princess Anna.”

“I always do.” Elsa curtly replied.

Brandon nodded his head, walking forward to the bridge that led to the ship. Without turning, Elsa’s father spoke up. “I have heard about what has occurred between you and Princess Anna.”

Elsa stood, unmoving and stoic. Brandon continued. “We will discuss this later. Keep her safe.”

“Safe travels, father.” Elsa concluded, watching her father head up the bridge and onto the ship.

Her blue eyes traveled back to the Royal family to catch Anna skipping her way towards the blonde… at an extremely quick and sudden –

Elsa caught the giggling girl in her arms, only taking a couple of steps backwards at the unexpected speed and force of impact. Anna looked up at Elsa, her teal eyes glowing under the afternoon sun.

“Elsa, please take care of our daughter.” The Protector looked to see the Queen give her a warm smile. Elsa reciprocated that smile.

King Agnarr approached steadily behind, nodding his head in agreement with his wife.

“Safe travels, Your Majesties.”

“Will do. Make sure that this one doesn’t get into any trouble.” King Agnarr laughed, ruffling the top of Anna’s head.

Anna turned in Elsa’s arms, sending glares at her father who only continued to laugh.

“I’m happy for the both of you.” King Agnarr spoke, looking between the two girls with eyes full of pride and admiration. Elsa’s face flushed slightly while Anna only rolled her teal eyes.

“Even if you didn’t approve, I would still be with Elsa.” Anna said. Queen Iduna smiled at the pair.

“We know. We will be back in a week.” Anna’s mother noted.

Anna nodded her head eagerly. “Well, you two best get going. The faster you leave, the faster you will be back.” The Princess slipped out of Elsa’s grip to rush forward and hug her parents one more time. “I love you.”

King Agnarr smiled affably at his daughter. “We love you too.”

Anna stepped away from her parents, pushing them forward on the docks with another somber smile. The Princess backed up until her back was pressed against Elsa’s front. Anna tugged on the girl’s forearms, and Elsa took that as a message to wrap her arms securely around the Princess.

The couple watched as everyone started to board the ship. They stood there; Elsa’s arms wrapped around Anna with her chin resting against her shoulder while Anna held onto Elsa’s arms that encircled her waist. The couple stayed in the spot until the ship sailed out of Arendelle and into the ocean, no longer visible to the naked eye.

Anna turned around in Elsa’s arms, teal eyes looking up to meet the blue that just shifted its gaze down.

“So, what are we doing for the rest of the day?” Anna asked.

Elsa smiled at the girl, taking her hand and tugging it towards the town square. “I’m going to buy a few things, then we will head into the forest to have a bit of fun before we go back to the castle for bed. Does that sound okay?”

“Surprise me.” Anna giggled, allowing the Protector to lead her away from the docks and towards the town square.

* * *

“Elsa!” Anna giggled, trying to catch her balance while Elsa elegantly skated around the Princess. The two were currently on a frozen lake somewhere in the forest, the stars of the night sky twinkling above them. Every year, the citizens of Arendelle would decorate and create a well-lit path from the city to this frozen lake. Along the trail were food vendors and benches for people to grab some food, eat and mingle.

The sounds of children giggling were heard in the background. There were a couple of families and teenagers skating along the frozen lake. When the two had initially arrived, everyone seemed to have greeted Elsa as if she was a regular at the frozen lake.

The Protector glided so that she stood a couple of feet in front of the Princess. She offered the young girl open arms and a warm smile. “Try skate to me, okay? I’ll catch you if you fall.”

Anna rolled her teal eyes. “I don’t know how you do it.” Anna started wobbling towards Elsa, who started skating backwards with each wobble that the Princess took.

The Princess pouted while Elsa skated backwards with each inch that Anna moved forward. “You’re not supposed to be moving.”

“It’ll help improve your skating.” Elsa chuckled. Anna continued to wobble forward while Elsa glided slightly back.

_So cute._

“Try and lean your body forward into it. Just glide and alternate between each side.” Elsa suggested.

Anna stood, closing her eyes and nodding her head. The redhead took huffs of exaggerated breaths. “Right, okay! Just glide and alternate and lean and – “Anna started to move; her eyes closed.

Elsa noted her footwork, her eyes widening as she immediately shot forward to catch the younger girl who was now flailing her arms in the air. The platinum-blonde haired girl pulled Anna up so that she was standing upright, their fronts pressed closely against each other while Elsa had both arms wrapped around Anna’s waist.

Anna’s eyes were clenched shut, her hands clutching the front of Elsa’s blue long-sleeve shirt.

“I told you I would catch you.” Elsa said smugly, causing Anna’s teal eyes to open as the younger girl glared at her lover.

The Protector shook her head, leaning forward to place a small kiss on the girl’s cheek as compensation. “I’m sorry, okay?”

Anna shook her head, her hands still clutching Elsa’s shirt. “Nope, that’s not enough! I want another kiss.”

“Where?” Elsa asked amusingly. Anna released one hand that was clutching onto Elsa’s shirt to tap her lips in response. Her icy, blue eyes widened at Anna’s suggestion.

“Anna…”

The younger girl’s teal eyes gazed into the Protector’s worried ones, her hand shifting so that it was placed gingerly against the side of Elsa’s face on her cheek. “I told you before and I’ll say it again. You are mine, and I am yours. I don’t care if anyone discovers that we’re romantically dating each other, Elsa. I could care less about what they think.” Anna leaned forward, her breath grazing against Elsa’s lips. The Protector’s blue eyes looked down at those heart-shaped pink lips. “Take what’s yours, Elsa.”

With that, Anna pulled Elsa’s shirt so that the two were closer than before. Anna’s teal eyes were hooded, gazing down at Elsa’s lips and waiting for the Protector to make the final move. If Elsa moved just slightly forward, their lips would brush against each other’s.

And oh god, did Elsa want this. She wanted everyone to know that her heart has always belonged to the young girl in her arms. She wanted everyone to know that she, Elsa Winters, eldest daughter of Brandon Winters, sole Protector of Princess Anna of Arendelle, had her sturdy walls broken down and is in love with the Princess. She wanted everyone to know that what was going on between Anna and herself is real, and that they were both in a committed courtship with one another.

So, Elsa didn’t hold back. She crashed her lips against Anna’s, briefly catching the younger girl by surprise before she reciprocated with just as much fervor. All time and space seemed to stop as Elsa tasted those soft, sweet lips that had a lingering taste of chocolate. Everything that was outside of them had blurred out of Elsa’s senses.

Anna deepened their kiss, the younger girl’s tongue gently brushing against the bottom of Elsa’s lip, asking for permission that Elsa readily allowed. Gosh, Elsa could stay lost in her Anna for the rest of her life. She could stay lost in this moment for the entirety of her life if she wanted to.

Anna was the one to break their kiss though, pulling away to press her forehead against Elsa’s.

“Wow.” Anna breathed. Elsa fluttered her eyes open to gaze into the lustful, teal ones. Anna’s chest heaved as she was tried to catch her breath.

“Wow, indeed.” Elsa chuckled, pulling a bit more away from the girl to note that no one was actually paying any attention to them. If Elsa’s blue eyes had come into contact with another stranger’s, they would only give her a supportive smile before minding their own business.

It made Elsa’s mind calm even further.

When the Protector turned her gaze back to Anna, she noted how the Princess was looking at her with _this look._ This smoldering look that made Elsa’s knees feel weak. Oh, how the Protector wanted to sweep the Princess off of her feet and carry her back to their bed.

But she knew she had one more thing on their agenda for the night before doing so.

“Come on, I have one more thing planned for us for tonight.” Elsa expressed, tugging Anna off of the ice rink until they arrived at pavement.

The older girl bent down, loosening the skates off of the Princess and helping her out of it before taking off her own ice skates. The Protector walked over to return the skates, thanking the worker before walking back to the Princess and offering her arm.

“Ready for the last thing of the night?”

Anna nodded her head, accepting the arm and allowing the Protector to lead her away.

* * *

The couple arrived at their final destination: the top of a cliff that had a waterfall nearby. They each held their own cup of hot chocolate once they arrived at the destination. At the current place that they were standing, the city of Arendelle and the castle were distinctively seen from their position, the lights of the streetlamps and homes emitting a soft and comforting glow. The stars were painted above them and into the horizon, providing a magnificent background of the city view. To top it all off, the moon was clearly visible, shining brightly right above the castle.

“Wow, this is amazing.” Anna gasped, admiring the view in awe.

“An amazing view for an amazing girl.” Elsa stood; their hands still intertwined together as she looked at the Princess with soft, blue eyes. Anna turned around with a small, playful smile perched upon her lips.

The auburn-haired girl sat down on the soft grass, gesturing for Elsa to sit with her as well. The blonde sat next to Anna, immediately feeling the girl lean her body against her side, resting her head on Elsa’s shoulder.

“You’re too good to me.” Anna mumbled, gazing into the kingdom and the stars.

“On the contrary, love, you are the one that is too good to me.” Elsa answered, taking a quick glance at the redhead.

The two sat in silence, admiring the view that was in front of them. The cool, winter wind blew through their hair, but it was nothing too intense, especially since Anna was still wearing Elsa’s coat.

Elsa was the first to speak. “When I went on that mission, all I thought about was getting back to you. I always had this picture of you with me to remind myself of what I needed to come back to.” Elsa felt Anna hold her breath.

The Protector felt her own heartbeat against her chest as she continued. “I always looked up at the stars and the moon, finding comfort in them because it was the only way I can think of to somehow be connected to you. I would always think, each time that I looked up at the moon and stars, if we were looking at the same moon and stars but at different angles.”

Elsa turned to the girl, depositing an affectionate kiss on her forehead. “I wanted to share this place and view with you. I found comfort in the stars and moon every time I was apart from you, even after the mission. I also thought that you might like to have a view of the Kingdom that you will rule one day, the Kingdom you care so much about that I know you will risk your life for in a heartbeat.”

The platinum-blonde haired girl pulled out a photo that she always kept on the belt that held her sword because Anna was always wearing her black coat. Elsa showed the photo to the Anna. It was the photo of Anna in the town square. “This is what got me through the entire mission, knowing that I had to come back to you. Even during the whole Winter Solstice Celebrations, I always kept this photo on me because it was what helped me get through the day.”

Anna released a discontented sigh, looking up at the platinum-blonde haired girl. “I’m sorry about that, by the way. I’m sorry that all of that happened post-mission.”

“No, no, it’s not your fault. If anything, I should be sorry for avoiding you. I just…” Elsa started, her icy, blue eyes gazing into those teal eyes that brought her an abundance of comfort.

Every time she looked into those eyes, Elsa felt safe and secure. When Elsa looked into those eyes, she felt all the problems that were in her life, all the worries and anxieties she had, seemingly fade away into nothingness. Looking into those teal eyes made her feel stable.

Anna was looking up at her with those teal eyes, expecting her to continue. Elsa felt safe to voice her thoughts. “I just thought that you would want to be swept away by a Prince. I thought that all you would ever see me as is your friend. I thought that you wanted that classic love with someone that can give you the entire world.”

Anna released a small giggle, a giggle that wasn’t necessarily laughing at Elsa’s insecurities, but laughing at the bizarreness of the older girl’s assumptions. “Elsa, if I wanted to be swept away by a Prince, I would have been very interested in doing so at a young age. You are right when you said that I wanted romantic love when I was eight, but I wanted that with you.” Anna leaned forward to place a peck on Elsa’s lips. “Also, you gave me all I can ever want, the _entire world,_ when you made that promise to me during the meteor showers. Because you know why, Elsa Winters?”

Elsa stayed mute, her icy blue eyes still gazing into those soft, teal ones that were raw and genuine. Anna noted her silence and continued. “Because you are my world, Elsa. You are my entire world, and nobody can separate us: not my parents, not other Kingdoms, not even a Sigil. Nobody can separate us because our love is stronger than everything else in the world.”

Elsa’s heart drumming against her chest would be an understatement. It wouldn’t fully explain what the Protector was feeling at this current moment. She felt elated, powerful, almost unstoppable. Elsa felt as if all she ever needed in life to survive were those words from Anna. She didn’t need recognition or approval from her father, or to be the very best Protector in the entire world (even though that would be a goal, but strictly only for Anna’s safety and not for the glory).

In order to act on this surge of power and hope and positive energy that coursed through her veins, Elsa leaned forward to capture Anna’s lips in a slow, sensual kiss. Anna, for the second time that day, did not reciprocate for a moment in shock, but soon caught up to deepen their shared kiss.

The couple continued to share their kiss, Elsa’s hand reaching over to wrap around Anna’s waist to pull her even closer. This kiss that they shared was a bit more different than all the other kisses that they shared. Although their first kiss on the night of the masquerade ball would be the most intense, this would follow in a close second.

It was raw, robust and omnipotent. This kiss was somewhat like sealing some sort of promise of love – an unspoken promise of love. Elsa knew that when their lips met, she knew that it was a promise that their love to each other would never die; that no matter what happens, they will always prevail through.

An unspoken promise of eternal love.

As the two pulled away, needing air and wanting to actually see each other beyond closed eyes and touched lips, all Elsa saw was a radiating star that was in front of her. All the other stars beyond her didn’t matter. All the other stars didn’t have the capability to hold as much influence as the one that was wrapped in her arm.

_My star. Anna always was, and still is, my shining star._

And maybe that’s what Elsa had associated Anna with when it came to love: a star. Ten years ago, when they were on the balcony of their study, Elsa still saw Anna as the shining star that triumphed all other stars. Maybe that’s why Elsa always compared Anna’s freckles to the stars of the universe. For Anna, Elsa is the single, unique snowflake that made her realize she had fallen deeply in love with her.

For Elsa, Anna is that star that outshined all others even during the meteor shower. Maybe Elsa fell in love with the girl back then but just didn’t realize it. Maybe Elsa fell in love with the girl in the most mundane activities or environments. Although, Elsa knew that when she did fall in love with the girl, she was the star that encompassed the Protector’s vision.

“I love you.” Anna confessed softly, her voice dripping with palpability.

Elsa softly smiled at the girl, leaning forward to nuzzle Anna’s nose with her own. “I love you, too.”

Anna and Elsa stayed at the spot, enjoying each other’s company and the close proximity which they maintained. The two admired the view ahead of them, both taking bashful yet enamored glances at one another.

It was their cue to leave when some of the lights in the homes of Arendelle had started to dim. Elsa stood up, offering her hand to help the young girl up. Anna accepted, being pulled up by the Protector before the two descended the cliff and started to head back to the castle.

Their walk was quiet but comforting. It felt nice to be in each other’s presence, to be able to see, smell and touch one another as they made their way back to the castle. Anna hugged Elsa’s right arm all the way down to Arendelle. When they walked through the town, the sounds of cheerful laughter from the citizens echoed in the air, but for the most part, everyone was in the comfort of their home.

Once they entered the start of the bridge, the sound of many footsteps was heard ahead. The clattering of metal against pavement was heard in the courtyard of the castle that the two needed to pass through in order to get inside the castle.

Elsa’s mind started going in overload as they neared the gates of the castle. They were only a few feet away from entering into the castle, but Elsa could see how there were guards running about in suits of armor. Her posture stiffened as they entered into the courtyard to finally note how there were more guards outside than usual.

“Anna, Elsa!” A distant voice yelled. Anna had confusion etched across her face, her eyebrows furrowed when she found it strange how there were so many guards in the courtyard. Kristoff jogged his way towards the two, stopping for a brief moment to talk to a guard, who quickly nodded their head and commanded majority of those out in the courtyard to head inside. This left only a handful, about five to six, remaining in the courtyard.

Once the burly man reached the couple, his eyes quickly glanced at the retreating guards before shifting back to the couple. “I’m glad you both are here and safe. It seems like there has been a lot of commotion going on in the castle. There have been workers screaming, and we think that there is an enemy infiltrating the castle.”

Elsa’s body immediately stiffened, and her jaw clenched. Her blue eyes hardened while Anna’s teal ones filled with worry.

Kristoff continued. “I commanded the guards to head inside to try and keep it safe and secure. Some of the workers have gone missing, and so, we have to make sure that we find this enemy at once. Anna, Elsa, I suggest that the two of you – “

Kristoff’s sentence was immediately cut short when Elsa abruptly turned around, withdrawing her sword out of its sheath as she deflected an incoming arrow that was headed their way.

Holding her sword high, Elsa’s blue eyes hardened as she studied the darkness of the courtyard. She felt a trembling body press against her back. The feeling only empowered the Protector further, holding her sword high and constantly turning her head for any signs of the enemy.

The sound of swords being drawn echoed in the courtyard as each guard lingering kept their own stance. Another sound echoed clearly in Elsa’s ears, and she immediately turned 90 degrees to the left to cut down and deflect a wave of arrows that were shot in the darkness.

Meanwhile, within the courtyard, the sound of footsteps and bodies falling followed in suit. Elsa quickly turned her head to note that three of the guards had fallen from the arrows, leaving only three standing. The Protector took a brief glance at her younger brother to see that his own sword was held up high, but his hands were trembling while his brown eyes carefully shifted in the darkness.

In a swift movement, Elsa quickly pulled Anna to her, made a 180 degree turn and pushed her in the direction where the arrows had originally come from to have metal meet metal. A man looked down at her with a smug look. Rolling her blue eyes, Elsa angled her sword so that she was able to slide her sword in a certain position that enabled her to disarm the man. The enemy’s sword flew out of his hands and the hilt of Elsa’s sword met his head, knocking him unconscious.

When her metal had clashed with the enemy’s, so did the other guards’ swords. It seemed as if they were surrounded. At least eight mysterious men had arrived, only wearing tunics and breeches while having swords as weapons. Even then, the guards were struggling against the enemies, being outnumbered by six other enemies.

Elsa noted how two of the men were running at her. She moved swiftly enough to parry each of their attacks before kicking them away, watching as they flew a couple of feet back.

Once that was done for now, Elsa quickly slid to where she originally stood in front of Anna and deflected another wave of arrows.

_I have to parry their attacks. I can’t just dodge if there’s a chance that it endangers Anna._

Elsa’s blue eyes took a quick glance at Anna to see the younger girl standing there, her arms wrapped around her own waist and her body trembling. Her teal eyes were wide in shock, her chest heaved up and down at an alarming rate that caused Elsa to rush forward to the girl. Elsa’s left hand reached forward to Anna’s cheek, and the Princess’s eyes only softened the slightest as she leaned into the Protector’s touch.

“Anna, are you okay?” Her body was still trembling, but the girl was able to give a weak nod.

“E-Elsa, I’m scared.” Those teal eyes started to glisten, and it broke Elsa to pieces when she saw them water. The platinum-blonde leaned forward, placing a comforting kiss Anna’s forehead.

“Don’t worry, love. I will protect you, I promise. You will be alright, you will live.” Elsa’s soft, azure blue eyes gazed into those watered, teal ones. It immensely calmed the Princess, giving Elsa the opportunity to look up at her brother to see that his guard was still up, a few broken arrows scattered near his feet.

“Kristoff, keep Anna safe and protect her at all cost.” _They have to go somewhere safe, somewhere where the enemy can’t come in from the outside._

_The East Wing. It’s basically impossible for anyone to scale the walls there._

“You two head back into the castle and head to our study.” Elsa commanded. Her younger brother’s brown eyes looked up, and the once, frightened boy nodded his head when he noticed the surge of power that Elsa seem to exude.

“But Elsa – “ Anna started. Elsa looked back down at the girl, giving her one of her brightest smiles.

“Don’t worry, I’ll meet you there, okay?” Elsa consoled.

Another thud was heard. The Protector turned her head to see that another guard had fallen, leaving only two left to fend for themselves.

The platinum-blonde haired girl noticed a quick movement from her peripherals. She dashed to the Princess’s side, standing in between a man’s sword and the younger girl.

Then, Elsa heard it. She heard more footsteps running from the bridge, and quickly turned to spot a dozen enemies running in, wearing the same attire as the original eight that came.

There were too many things to worry about. There had to be four archers around the castle and half a dozen standing enemies.

With only two guards, a Princess, a Protector and a Protector in training.

Elsa quickly reached into her belt, pulling out a hidden dagger and stabbing the man in the gut. His blood splattered on Elsa’s attire, but she needed to keep Anna safe.

Even if it meant killing.

Hearing the sounds of bows being drawn, Elsa rushed to the opposite side of the young girl, deflecting the incoming arrows in one swift swing of her sword before reaching into her pocket to throw four tiny daggers into the darkness. The thuds of bodies were heard.

_Good, two archers down, two more to go. Less arrows to deflect._

A trample of footsteps was heard to Elsa’s right. The Protector swiftly pulled Anna behind her and lunged her sword at one of the three men. She withdrew the sword and slashed it at the other two in one swift motion. One of the enemies was able to scarcely jump back, but the other immediately had his hand cut off.

Meanwhile, Kristoff was trying to fend off two enemies, parrying their attacks and attempting his own when he spotted an opening. The sound of bodies falling resonated in the air once again, and Elsa turned to note that the two remaining guards had fallen simultaneously with three dead enemies surrounding them.

Two of the enemies towered over the fallen guards, swords in the air and about to deal the finishing blow. Elsa quickly dug into her pocket and threw additional tiny daggers at them. The two enemies fell when the daggers pierced into their necks.

_Five down, twelve to go. Two archers left._

Elsa’s action enraged the enemies, causing a few that had just passed the gate to charge her way. Kristoff was able to kill one of his two enemies, but his stamina seemed to be faltering as he started gasping for breath. Elsa dug her hand into the pouch of her belt that held the mini daggers to notice that she only had four left.

Elsa threw two of the daggers at the incoming enemies, their bodies falling to the ground when her dagger pierced their vital spot. Another enemy ran to Kristoff’s side, helping their ally while her younger brother’s movements was getting unsteady with each passing second.

Two more enemies seemed to have approached from Elsa’s right side while the enemy that barely escaped her assault, along with the man that had his hand cut off, were charging at her.

Elsa’s senses were on alert, her eyes looking between the approaching enemies in front of her and to the right of her. Then, she heard the sounds of bows being drawn to her left.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it._

Elsa had to do it. She needed to keep Anna safe.

Without further delay, the Protector slashed her sword to slit one of the enemy’s throat in front of her. She kicked their body soon after to delay the movements of the able-bodied enemy in front of her. Elsa proceeded to slide to her right to deflect both enemies before using her sword to slice one of the men’s necks and kicking the other. With her free hand, Elsa dug into her pockets for the two remaining tiny daggers.

The Protector promptly shoved Anna down to the ground with the hand that held the daggers, making sure that it was positioned so that it didn’t pierce the girl in any way possible. Elsa turned her body in a complete 180 to deflect a single arrow with her sword and throw the two remaining daggers into the darkness.

As a result of her positioning, an arrow had pierced into her left thigh.

And shit, did it hurt.

A gasp was heard from below, and Elsa’s blue eyes looked down with clenched teeth when she saw those teal eyes water. Blood started forming around the arrow, but Elsa knew better than to take the arrow out.

“E-Elsa.” Anna barely whispered, but Elsa had heard it loud and clear. It pained the Protector to see the younger girl trembling, eyes wide and glistening with tears threatening to fall.

Elsa’s blue eyes noted, through her peripheral vision, how an enemy was running towards Anna, sword in hand and ready to attack the fallen girl. The Protector withdrew her large dagger and threw it at the enemy to her right, the dagger piercing his neck as he fell with a thud three feet away from the Princess.

_They’re after her._

“Watch out!” Anna screamed at Elsa. The platinum-blonde haired girl knew who Anna was exactly talking about. The Protector brought her sword from in front of her to shove it behind her, as if she was sheathing the sword.

The sound of cutting flesh was heard, and Elsa felt the impact both from her sword and on her left shoulder.

The enemy’s body became heavy on her weapon while the blade of the sword that had lacerated her shoulder untensed. The light blue long sleeve had splotches of both her own blood and the enemies’. The Protector withdrew her sword to hear the sound of a body falling behind her.

Another thud was heard in Kristoff’s direction. The older sibling turned to see that another enemy had fallen to the hands of her younger brother, but Kristoff’s legs were trembling, his body rocking back and forth as he tried to deflect the enemy’s attacks.

Elsa heard a ringing in her ear and felt a wave of nausea. There were only four more… four more and two of them were about to…

With all of her energy, Elsa dashed towards her younger brother. Kristoff had fallen to his knees due to exhaustion and the two enemies held their swords up high, a satisfied smirk framed their lips as they were prepared to deal the finishing blow.

Thank goodness for the sword’s lightweight nature and length because Elsa was barely able to block the swords coming down on her brother’s head. With all her strength, Elsa shoved her sword up to have the attackers’ swords fly into the air. The eldest sibling proceeded to angle her sword where it slit both of the opponents’ necks.

“Kristoff, get up.” Elsa growled; her body leaned forward as more blood continued to pour from her deep shoulder wound.

The younger blonde stayed on his knees, trying to catch his breath. His brown eyes looked up to be met with cold, hard sapphire ones.

“Kristoff, prove yourself. Do your fucking job for once and take Anna to the study. Now.”

Screams echoed within the castle and more footsteps were heard incoming through the gate.

The younger Winters started hyperventilating, trying to catch his breath while his eyes casted back down to the ground. When Elsa’s eyes roamed down the boy’s body, she noticed how he was bleeding on the right side of his abdomen.

“Kristoff, please.” Elsa’s resolve cracked, her voice trembling, raw and vulnerable. Kristoff’s brown eyes widened before meeting his sister’s gaze once more, seeing the eldest Winters’s eyes soften and even glisten. Kristoff has never seen his older sister weak. She was never weak, never showing an ounce of sadness and never unguarded.

For the younger Winters to see his eldest, perfect, robust sibling everything that she wasn’t was what surprised him. This Elsa was frail and almost powerless. This Elsa was begging him to get up, and his older sister never asked, begged or complained about anything.

“Please Kristoff. Be the Protector you were trained to be and take her somewhere safe. Prove father wrong, prove other people wrong, prove _me_ wrong.” Elsa weakly urged, her breathing becoming shallow and erratic.

The younger boy kept his shocked gaze on his older sister. Elsa turned her head weakly, noting how there was a crowd of attackers running on the bridge towards them. She barely turned her body, her sword high and her back to Kristoff.

“Kristoff, please take care of Anna. I’ll hold them off.”

Kristoff barely stood, clutching his bloody side and looking at his older sister’s hunched back. Her shoulders were rising and falling in large motions, but Kristoff saw it. He saw his older sister that he had always looked up to. Yes, he was always compared to her and belittled by others because of her overwhelming and omnipotent power, but regardless, Kristoff always saw Elsa as a role model.

The youngest Winters always lived in the shadows of the eldest Winters child. Elsa was always the golden child, receiving praise and favoritism from their father while Kristoff always sulked and had to find comfort in their mother. His goal was always to become as good, even better, than the designated Protector. Even if there were times where hate was fabricated for his older sibling, it was always because he was envious of the stoic-like girl. Elsa got the fame, the praise, the title, the power and the Princess. He was envious, but he would never hate her. He could never hate her.

And for once, she was asking him for something. _Him._ Elsa was never reliant on anyone, not even their father. She was never the type of person to complain or ask. She was always the type to give and prove.

With every ounce of energy that the youngest Winters had left, he trudged forward to pick up the shocked Princess in his arms.

“Come on, Anna. We have to go.” Kristoff breathed, hoping Anna would use her own legs to run into the castle.

Of course, the Princess would never let things slide without a fight, especially when it came to the love of her life.

“No.” Anna sobbed, trying to lunge away from the youngest Winters and towards Elsa. Kristoff barely caught the jumping Princess, encircling her waist with his big arms. “NO, LET ME GO.” Anna screamed, tears running down her cheeks.

“KRISTOFF, LET ME GO!” Anna wailed, thrashing her body against the youngest Winters. Kristoff kept his arms securely wrapped around her waist, lifting the girl up and tossing her over his shoulder.

Elsa spoke, her voice weak, broken but unquivering. Ten more foes ran through the gates. “Kristoff, go. Keep Anna safe.” The grip on Elsa’s sword tightened.

Kristoff nodded his head before turning around and running into the castle. Anna continued struggling against the boy’s grip, her teal eyes looking up as her blurry vision barely made out her lover’s frame.

“E-ELSA, PLEASE.” Anna howled, tears falling to the ground as she watched her lover do as she said: fend off the enemies. Although, because Elsa already suffered two large, detrimental wounds, her strength and speed were significantly slower than usual. The Protector killed four more enemies before the attackers started to pile up and simultaneously charge at the blonde. She held her ground, deflecting most of the attacks but absorbing a few more deep strikes.

“YOU PROMISED.” Anna screamed, and for a moment, Elsa stood there, her shoulders tense and frozen in her stance. All of the enemies had jumped back at the blonde’s unexpected strength and were slowly recuperating to launch another attack.

In the tiniest sliver of time that she had left, Elsa let her guard down. Turning her head only slightly so that Anna had a side profile of her face, the blue eyes looked down at the ground, a somber smile made its way towards her lips. The attackers were preparing for their next attack while small tears fell from Elsa’s blue eyes.

Anna saw Elsa’s mouth move, and through her adrenaline and focus on only Elsa, she blocked out all noise except for the words that came out of Elsa’s mouth, whispering lightly in the air.

“I’m sorry, Anna. I love you.”

Elsa quickly turned her attention back to the foes. Her body was barely standing as she cut down and killed three more foes in a single stroke. The remaining enemies jumped back in surprise before lunging once more at the Protector. Thankfully, Elsa acted quickly by deflecting those attacks.

Then, Anna saw it.

Anna and Kristoff were already within the walls of the castle, but right before Kristoff turned the corner of a hall that would impede all sight of the courtyard, she saw an enemy that was wearing a red tunic and holding a red sword.

The Princess saw in slow motion as the man materialized in the crowd of adversaries, his beady red eyes glowing with something that radiated requital, vengeance, anger and satisfaction. In a blink of an eye, before the Protector could react against the abrupt and unexpected presence, the man lunged his sword into Elsa’s gut.

“NO!” Anna cried. The man in red withdrew his sword from the frail girl’s body.

With that single blow, Anna’s teal eyes witnessed as the love of her life, her Protector, her snowflake, _her Elsa_ , fell forward to the ground like a lifeless doll.

The memories of earlier in the day flashed in Anna’s mind. How the two were so in love, so _happy._ How everything was so calm and how a mere fourteen hours ago, everything was the best that it can be.

Anna felt her eyelids become heavy as darkness engulfed her blurry vision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe :3


	15. Kallum's Promise

Anna stayed in a familiar bed with blankets wrapped around her fragile frame. Her knees were tucked into her chest, her body curling into a ball as she heard the faint echoes and arguments occurring in the hallway. The scent of vanilla and snow still lingering on the sheets.

She felt…empty. She didn’t understand what she had done to deserve this to occur.

The argument increased in volume outside of the door in the bedroom she was currently occupied in. The voices were muffled, but she knew who it clearly was, considering that the arguments outside the door always ensued with the same two people.

She despised…no, _hated_ one of those voices.

She heard a grumble, followed by heavy footsteps stomping away from the door. Then, soft knocks were heard against the door, and she knew who it was based on the pattern of the knocks.

“Princess Anna…” the voice barely whispered, the tone of the voice which was once strong and robust in the argument that just occurred mere seconds ago had become a broken, raspy mess.

The redhead felt numb. She has only left the current room twice in the past one and a half weeks: once when her parents had someone kick the door down, and even then, it was a mere couple of steps for a minute. The other time that she had left the room was an occurrence that resulted for her to transpire into this state.

It didn’t make sense. None of it makes sense.

How? How does the entire castle get ransacked, having the women stolen and kidnapped by the perpetrators? How does an injured body merely disappear?

How was she not found and brought back when the rest were brought back.

She just…disappeared. She just went missing. Anna’s only moment of hope was when she witnessed the ships of those who were kidnapped dock on Arendelle. She saw the victims rejoice with their loved ones after gone missing for thirty-six hours, and she was hoping that she would be one of those lucky people to rejoice with their loved one.

But it never happened. Elsa wasn’t there.

And now, here she was. She was hiding herself in her lover’s room, wearing her oversized t-shirts, her coat draped across the chair. Their parents immediately turned ship when they had received news once they landed in Corona.

They arrived back to the castle four days after they left. Anna’s parents mourned for the missing, young Protector. When Anna was forced to see her parents earlier this morning, she remembered how her mother couldn’t hold back her gasp and how her father had shock immediately shift over his features. Anna… was, no, is empty. She wasn’t the jubilant, cheerful daughter that she was supposed to be. She wasn’t who she was before her parents had left for the Kingdom of Corona.

She was a broken, empty body with no soul. The only emotion that radiated from her was depression and sadness. The castle grew quiet and dull, the usual vivacious energy that bounced off the walls of the castle from the Princess had vanished. In the night, all that was heard were the small sobs and whimpers coming from Elsa’s room.

When her parents and Elsa’s father had received the news, Elsa’s father entered a state of numbness. It makes sense; his eldest, golden child had suddenly disappeared trying to do her duty. Although Sir Brandon never expressed it, he truly loved and was proud of his eldest child.

All Anna knew was that Sir Brandon had grieved by vigorously training himself and the youngest Winters. The youngest Winters that seemed to receive the hate from father and Princess.

Anna’s eyes watered. Why? Why did he have to take her away? Why couldn’t he help save Elsa? Why couldn’t he be stronger?

Those thoughts were what had transpired in both the Princess’s and Brandon’s. Sir Brandon would constantly insult his youngest child, criticizing him to the bone. Although it was not spoken, Sir Brandon had changed his once, friendly demeanor. If Sir Brandon’s distaste for his youngest child wasn’t prevalent enough before the attack, it definitely was now.

If Kristoff was stronger, he could’ve easily helped Elsa. If Kristoff was stronger, the three of them could have ran away together. If he was stronger…

“I’m sorry, Anna.” The voice spoke behind the door.

That voice… that voice was the only voice that brought comfort to her. She wasn’t sure why, but it helped her get through each and every day. Even though all the workers had expressed their condolences to her, even though her own parents had expressed their sorrow and sympathy to her, none of it seemed to have mattered.

Maybe it was because that voice understood. Maybe it was because that voice understood and witnessed how strong her bond with Elsa was.

Maybe it was because that voice loss as much as she did.

“Anna… don’t worry.” The voice trembled. Anna knew well that the man behind the door was currently crying. The man behind the door that never showed emotion, that never showed weakness, was raw and vulnerable. “I promise you that I will find her, no matter what. I don’t believe that kid would have lost so easily. She’s alive somewhere, Anna, and I’ll make sure to bring her back.”

Spymaster Kallum released a large sigh behind the door before turning and walking away, his footsteps fading into the hall. By the time she could not pick up on his footsteps, Anna noticed the wet patch on the pillow her head currently rested on.

When news had spread about the attack on Arendelle, Spymaster Kallum promptly rushed back to Arendelle, arriving back in the Kingdom twenty-four hours after the attack. He commanded his spies to find intel, to work until those who were kidnapped were found. Even though his spies did get to work, it didn’t matter when the ships had docked in Arendelle twelve hours later.

A ship with two cloaked individuals, donning rainbow jewels, hoods and masks. One cloaked individual had an orange tree symbol on the back of its cloak, while the other had two silver swords clashing against each other and a yellow, shield shape in the back of the swords. Respectively, the symbols represented the Kingdom of Silva and the Kingdom of the Southern Isles.

When Anna waited for all the victims to exit the ships, she noted that her lover was nowhere in sight. Each time Anna thought back to the memory, her heart clenched even further.

_The strawberry-blonde haired girl was outside on the docks, wearing Elsa’s large shirt and black coat. The young Princess didn’t have time to put on proper clothing, jumping out of bed the moment she heard about the arrival of the two ships. The last victim had just walked past her while one cloaked figure walked forward, to the end of the dock._

_“Excuse me.” Anna spoke to the hooded individual with the Southern Isles symbol on their back. The individual stopped moving, their body tensed while their back still faced the Princess._

_“I-I want to thank you for saving my people.” Anna started, her teal eyes gazing down at the wooden dock. “I… I just want to know if that was the last person? I know that you and your teammate were the ones that helped stopped the invasion, and chased after the fleeing foes to retrieve the victims, but did you ever see this girl with platinum-blonde hair? Pale skin? Slim-toned physique?”_

_The individual stood there; their back faced to Anna as they stared forward into the sea. Anna stood, waiting, hoping for a reply._

_Then, the voice broke through the anticipated silence._

_“No, I’m sorry. This is all of the people that we had saved. Neither of us recall any girl with the description you have provided.” The individual said._

_Anna stood, holding her breath as she felt her world fall apart. They didn’t?... then where?_

_The individual took a couple of steps forward, pausing for a brief second before ending their conversation. “I am sorry for your loss.”_

Anna released a sob, unable to hold back anymore tears at the memory of the news that constantly crept into her mind. It has only been ten days since the attack, and yet, Anna felt like a lifetime has passed.

She didn’t know what to do anymore. She felt lost, as if she was only barely breathing and surviving day by day.

Anna sat up, furiously wiping the tears away from her eyes before swinging her feet over the bed. The benefit of having Kallum swing by was that it had gotten Kristoff to leave his post for a moment.

The young Princess walked over to the chair, taking the black coat and draping it over her shoulders before padding her way towards the door of the room. She needed to clear her mind and leave the room that she considered one of her few sanctuaries.

She also couldn’t handle the thought of Kristoff waiting outside for her.

So, Anna opened the door and made her way down a path that she hasn’t gone to in a while. On her way to her destination, she saw a surprised Gerda look at her, mouth agape and eyes full of sympathy.

Before the head maid could speak, Anna shook her head and raised her hand.

“Please Gerda, please don’t say anything. I just… I’ll be in my study for a while. Please don’t notify anyone.” Anna notified the elderly woman, who closed her mouth and nodded her head quickly.

Gerda bowed her head before scurrying down the hall. Anna sighed, knowing that the head maid will most likely bring her food to eat, especially considering that the girl had barely eaten. Anna started striding towards their study.

One of the many libraries was right next to their study, resulting in the young Princess needing to pass the door of the library in order to access her study. When she had reached the hallway that contained the door to their study, Anna advanced her way towards the end of the hall.

Although, the door to the library was slightly ajar, the sounds of familiar voices radiating from what was beyond the library door. Anna slowed down her pace when she recognized one of those voices, walking past the door only slightly before halting her movements to eavesdrop on the conversation.

Her teal eyes peeked into the opening to note the side-profile of two men, separating them in distance with a table in between.

One of the individuals is her father, sitting in one of the chairs. The other is Spymaster Kallum, standing in front of the table and King with crossed arms.

For once, Anna’s eyes widened at the Spymaster’s features.

It seemed as if Kallum had not slept in days, heavy bags hanging below his dull, silver eyes. The man had stubbles on his face from the lack of shaving. He wore his usual attire, but Anna noted something different about the dual daggers that Kallum always had equipped on his belt. Before, the daggers had a simple, gold guard to them. Now, they were replaced with a white snowflake.

“Spymaster Kallum, please think this through.” King Agnarr’s voice was heard within the walls of the library.

Anna perceived that low, cool chuckle from the Spymaster, who was trembling only minutes ago at the front of her door. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but this is the decision I wish to make.”

“Just because – “ King Agnarr was interrupted by the Spymaster speaking once more.

“As mentioned, I will only be on temporary leave. During my absence, the top spy will take my place until I come back. I am not resigning, your Majesty, but merely finding the only person that I can trust to succeed me.”

King Agnarr sighed. “Kallum, we have already lost one of Arendelle’s strongest assets. I don’t think it’s wise for you to leave, especially after an attack on Arendelle. We need to investigate this further, and we need you to do so.”

“There is no further investigation needed. The Sigils dealt with the attack, meaning that the threat will not attack Arendelle because the Sigils already investigated and resolved the problem. Furthermore, I am here to bring back Arendelle’s strongest asset, and you cannot change my mind, your Majesty.”

For a moment, silence ensued within the library.

Kallum continued. “I am not asking you to fund my expedition or my mission. I am not asking you for anything, actually. I am _telling_ you that I will go on temporary leave, and I will not return back to Arendelle until I find that kid.”

King Agnarr sighed, his green eyes looking down at the table. “Kallum, what if you’re only putting yourself in a wild goose chase? From the guards that were there that night, they think that she’s…”

Kallum immediately slammed his fist down onto the table, startling both Anna and the King. He leaned his body forward, his hard, silver eyes piercing into the King’s soul. “I am not going to give up on the kid. You can banish me from Arendelle for all I care and make me an exile, but I refuse to believe that she is dead. Don’t tell me you are losing hope, because the more you lose hope, the more you lose your daughter.”

The King sat there, wide eyed at Kallum’s actions.

“Her younger brother and her mother already lost hope in that kid being alive, and her father is also coming to that realization. Her younger brother saw her get killed, but I don’t believe that my apprentice can get killed that easily. I am not giving up until I see her, dead or alive.” Kallum snarled.

“Spymaster Kallum…” King Agnarr sighed again, looking down at the table.

“You can close the doors on her if you want to.” His confident voice wavered. “You can brainwash your daughter to think that she’s dead, but I am not going to be so gullible. I am not going to give up. If you believe that she is dead like the rest of them, then I will resign from my position. I will willingly banish my own self from Arendelle, because there is absolutely nothing left for me here.” Kallum yelled, tears forming in his silver irises before falling on the table. The Spymaster’s body was now hunched forward, his form trembling.

“That kid… that kid unexpectedly became the family member that I never had. I lost everyone, and all I became was just a strategic, stoic individual until that kid came into my life. And now, that kid is the only family I have left.” Kallum choked out, tears falling onto the table.

King Agnarr kept his gaze onto the table, watching from his peripheral as tears dropped onto his desk. Kallum stood up, wiping his eyes before shaking his head.

“Tell the general counsel what you want to tell them, whether if it’s that I betrayed the Kingdom or left for my own, selfish reasons. I. Don’t. Care. I’m just telling you now that this is the plan of action that I am going to take.” Kallum concluded, turning on his heel and heading towards the door. Anna immediately slipped out of the view from the crevice, about to scurry to the study when she heard her father’s voice.

“Wait.”

Kallum’s footsteps stopped, and so did Anna’s breathing when she heard her father spoke.

“Please, bring Elsa back. I will fund your mission personally with my own riches. Just please…” Her father’s voice was shaky. “Please, bring back my daughter’s happiness.”

With that, Anna rushed towards the study at the end of the hall. She quietly opened the door before promptly closing it.

The redhead leaned her back against the door and slide down to the bottom, her legs shaky and weak. She brought her knees to her chest, shoving her face in between her knees as she muffled her own sobs.

Kallum… That was why Anna felt comforted each time he arrived. He lost the only important person in his life. He endured as much pain as she did because even though her bond with Elsa was strong, Kallum was also Elsa’s mentor. He lost his apprentice.

And yet, he wasn’t going to give up on Elsa. He still believes that she is out there, somewhere… and he is going to do something about it. Instead of moping, he is going to go find her.

Anna looked up, seeing the chair that she usually sat on as memories flashed through her head. One specific memory popped into her head, something that was once buried underneath the rest because the Protector had assuaged her concerns in that conversation.

_“The bookshelf isn’t in alphabetical order.” Elsa frowned, her chin placed on Anna’s shoulder and her arms wrapped around the younger girl’s waist. Anna sat on Elsa’s lap, playing with the blonde’s fingers that were wrapped around her waist._

_“It’s so much easier to just put the books back without organizing them.” Anna complained, a small pout forming on her face._

_“It’s good to be organized! You’re going to have to learn how to be organized when you do become Queen.” Elsa chuckled. Anna felt the vibrations of the Protector’s laughter on her shoulder, sending small shivers down the Princess’s back._

_“Why be organized when I have you?” Anna joked._

_Elsa rolled her eyes, leaning her head up to place a small kiss on Anna’s cheek, causing the latter to lightly blush, something which went unnoticed by the Protector. “You still have to learn how to be organized. You’re going to have tons of things to do and worry about.”_

_Anna released an unintentional sigh. This caused the platinum-blonde haired girl to look at the younger girl with a curious look, eyebrows raised in confusion. “What’s wrong?”_

_God, Anna hated and loved how Elsa was able to understand how she felt without doing much._

_“I just…” Anna started, a small frown forming on her face while she stopped toying with Elsa’s fingers. The Protector took the opportunity to lightly rub the back of the Princess’s hand with the pad of her thumb, offering Anna’s hands a light squeeze of encouragement. “I’m just afraid that I won’t be a good Queen, that’s all.”_

_Elsa immediately chuckled at Anna’s concern. “Anna, I think you will have to try hard to be a terrible ruler.”_

_The redhead pouted, her eyebrows furrowing. “I’m serious, Elsa.”_

_“Me too.” Elsa replied. “Anna, everyone loves you and you’ve been trained and taught to take the throne at such a young age. I’m sure if you were to take the throne now, you would be much more capable than three-fourths of the rulers out there.”_

_Anna sighed, looking out the balcony window. “It’s just… I tend to decide and make haste actions based on how I feel. Isn’t that a bad trait for a ruler?”_

_“Not necessarily. It just shows that you have a lot of passion for certain things. I think that a bit of passion and emotion doesn’t hurt at all, just make sure that you don’t make impulse decisions without thinking things through.” Elsa consoled. Although it slightly quelled the Princess’s concerns, Elsa could feel the minute tension in her body still present._

_The Protector smiled at the Princess, untangling one of her hands and unwrapping that arm from the Princess. Elsa turned herself and the Princess so that the girl was sitting sideways on Elsa’s lap._

_Elsa raised her pinky with a smile. “I feel like you always have me make pinky promises, but how about you promise me something.” Anna’s teal eyes shifted from the balcony to the Protector and her raised pinky. “Everyone always messes up, Anna. The most important thing is learning from your mistakes and striving to be better. Your efforts are really all that matters; so, promise me that no matter what, you will not forget about Arendelle. Promise me that you will try your best and hardest to rule this Kingdom, regardless of the circumstances.”_

_Anna looked between Elsa’s pinky to those comforting cerulean eyes that always had the capability to calm her down. Her frown slowly morphed into a smile as she raised her own pinky to wrap around Elsa’s._

_“I promise.”_

_The platinum-blonde girl smiled. “Good.” With that, Elsa leaned forward to place a small kiss on Anna’s pinky. That small action sent a million electric shocks from her pinky through her body. The redhead felt her heart beat wildly against her chest as those blue eyes looked up at her with admiration and fondness._

Tears continuously ran down Anna’s cheeks, but she was able to subdue her sobs. With a sudden burst of energy, the Princess stood on her legs and made her way towards the bookshelves.

_Okay, first things first, let’s grab my study books and re-organize the bookshelf in alphabetical order by last name._

Anna was going to keep her promise. She was also going to make sure that the Kingdom was in the same position, if not, even better, once Kallum would arrive back with Elsa. Because if Anna knew anything about the young Protector, it was that she hated breaking promises.

* * *

Just like that, it seemed as if the desolation and gloominess within the castle walls had vanished. The Princess no longer sobbed, cried and starved herself due to her overwhelming heartache.

Instead, she starved herself due to her overwhelming motivation to learn and be better. The young girl didn’t sob or cry but remained a diligent individual. Even though the crestfallen aura was lifted, the castle was not as cheerful and jovial as it used to be.

Anna was not how she was pre-attack. She was now a serious individual, looking into accomplishing tasks with a straight face. The Princess that was once full of jokes and merriment had now turned into an aloof, apathetic individual.

At first, her parents were relieved, until they discovered that their daughter seemed to have become void of emotion. The young girl was eating, attending meals with her family and studying as she did before, but it was never the same. She wasn’t as lively nor did the young girl smile as often as she did before.

It was different.

Kristoff was appointed as Anna’s new Protector. Even though Anna had stopped ignoring the youngest Winters, she only talked to him about his duties, the Royal Guard or anything that involved escalating a task by being a messenger to other individuals.

Three days after the sudden change was when the King and Anna found themselves in the courtyard, bidding safe travels to Spymaster Kallum.

The Spymaster had enough goods and money to assist with his mission for a long period of time. No one else besides the King knew why Kallum was suddenly departing from Arendelle for an indefinite amount of time.

Kallum stood next to his horse, wearing his usual attire with an addition of his black coat. The Spymaster had his dual daggers on his belt, the snowflake guards still present.

When Anna had arrived to wish the Spymaster safe travels, the grey-eyed man chuckled, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

“You know, don’t you? You were the one that I sensed eavesdropping on my conversation with the King a few days ago.” Kallum answered the King’s questions, causing King Agnarr’s eyes to widen.

Anna only nodded her head in response.

Kallum opened his grey eyes, looking up to meet those dull, empty teal ones. Instead of mounting his horse, the Spymaster strode his way over to Anna until he stood in front of her. His soft, grey eyes looked into those emotionless teal ones.

Kallum placed his hand on top of Anna’s left shoulder. “I promised you, didn’t I? Make sure that black coat of hers is kept in good condition so that the kid can come back to wear it, okay?”

Anna didn’t reply, only standing there with a tense stance. Her eyes didn’t reflect any emotions as Kallum retracted his hand away and gave the young girl a kind smile.

The Spymaster turned on his heel and made his way back to his horse. He was only able to take a few steps before he felt small arms wrap around his torso.

He knew fully well who it was. Kallum released a small chuckle, turning around to wrap his own arms around his apprentice’s lover. He immediately felt wetness on the front of his shirt.

“T-Thank you.” Anna whispered.

With that, Anna released her hold on the Spymaster and took a step back. Her teal eyes were glossed with tears, and a small smile had decorated her face for once in the past two weeks.

Kallum nodded his head, offering the Princess another smile before turning on his heel and walking towards his horse. Quickly mounting the horse, Kallum looked back to give the King and Anna one last bow before exiting out of the courtyard and the castle gates.

King Agnarr stood next to his daughter, placing his own hand on her shoulder.

Her watery, teal eyes looked up to meet her father’s gentle, green ones. The young Princess gave her father a smile, a smile that the King hadn’t seen ever since his arrival back in Arendelle; a smile that spoke his daughter’s gratefulness to him. Anna focused her gaze ahead and stood there, watching until the Spymaster’s form was no longer seen in the horizon.

Little did King Agnarr know that it was one of the rare occurrences that he would experience where he would see his daughter’s genuine emotions.

Although, being able to have that single moment proved to the King that it meant the entire world for Elsa to be found.

The King vowed to himself that he would go to ends to find the lost Protector in order to make his daughter genuinely happy once again.

* * *

Elsa felt her body floating as if it was on a cloud. Her blue eyes fluttered open, adjusting to an unfamiliar room. The walls of the room were an olive green, and she noted how she was laying on a bed.

_Am I dead?_

Elsa sees a window to her right, sunlight piling into the room that she is currently occupied in. She also notes how she is hooked up and attached to some sort of blue cube on the bedside table of the room.

_Where am I?_

The last thing Elsa recalls was getting stabbed in the gut by someone that had this cocky smirk. It was as if they had planned this all. She was in Arendelle, stalling time for Kristoff and Anna.

_Arendelle? Anna._

Before Elsa could shoot up in her position, she heard one of the most angelic voices echoing throughout the walls of the room.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Her cerulean widened as the platinum-blonde quickly turned her head to where the sound came from, near the door, to note a brunette woman with kind, brown eyes smiling at her. The woman wore a long-sleeve, white blouse with a blue strap dress on top.

“You must have just awoken. What bad luck that I had to go use the bathroom when you awoke.” The brunette girl glided her way towards Elsa, taking a seat on a chair that was next to the bedside table and cube.

Elsa opened her mouth. “W-where – “ her voice was raspy, and it pained her to talk.

The brunette beauty shook her head, creating a zipping motion with her mouth to convey the Protector not to talk any further. “You shouldn’t try and talk nor make any sudden movements. You’re going to hurt yourself, especially since you have been unconscious for the past two weeks.”

_Two weeks? That’s too much time. Anna… what has happened? How am I here? I’m supposed to–_

“Be dead?” the brunette woman finished Elsa’s thoughts. Elsa’s eyes widened while the mysterious girl looked away from the cube and back to the Protector.

“I promise you that I will explain everything to you as best as I can… or explain to you what I only know.” The brunette pulled out a vial, opening the top of the cube and pouring it into the box. Elsa’s curious eyes followed as the woman stuffed away the vial and gave her a kind smile.

“The healing potion was also running low. Even though tears can do wonders, you’ve incurred tons of fatigue and inner damage.” Her soft, brown eyes gazed admirably into the Elsa’s blue ones.

“My name is Belle, and I am the potions master of the current Kingdom that we are in.”

Elsa raised her eyebrow, and the girl took a glance at the cube.

“I might as well tell you where we are, shouldn’t I?” Belle said hesitantly, her eyes still fixated on the cube.

“The cube that you are hooked up to will help with your recovery. It is also transfigured where I had incorporated a potion that will enable me to see and read your thoughts and potential actions.” Belle explained, glancing back at Elsa with that same, warm smile.

Belle took another glance at the cube, reading through the contents. The brunette woman opened her mouth, about to speak when the door creaked slightly open. A man walked in with light brown hair that could be compared to the shade of sand. His blue eyes peeked into the room, looking at the brunette beauty before his eyes traveled towards the bed. The man’s eyes widened when he noticed that Elsa was awake.

Meanwhile, the sounds of scuffles along the wooden floorboards were heard. Immediately following the sounds, a weight shifted at the corner of the bed. Elsa’s blue eyes looked down to note a pure, white wolf pup with hazel brown eyes looking at her with its head tilted to the side, its tail wagging excitedly at the awoken girl.

Belle giggled when the pup hopped its way over to Elsa’s side, gazing up the girl with a small smile, its tongue sticking out as if it was waiting for Elsa to give it a command. “This wolf pup has always been a little troublemaker throughout the castle. When you had arrived, it seemed that this pup had always come to visit you.”

The man near the door had strode his way over to the bed. He wore a white collared shirt with a blue blazer on top. The man also wore navy blue pants with an orange tree on the left part of his chest, sort of like a pin, right above his heart. He also had cuff links of this orange tree as well.

“I hope Belle is taking good care of you.” The man said kindly. The brunette girl rolled her eyes before glancing back at the cube.

“She’s telling you to shut up because Belle is taking good care of her. Also, she’s asking who you are and where she is.” Belle replied. The man rolled his eyes, standing at the edge of the bed.

“Well, my name is Adam, and I am the Prince of Silva.”

Elsa raised her eyebrow in confusion, racking her brain for the last word that the man had said. _Silva… Silva. Why does Silva sound so familiar?_

Belle was the one to answer Elsa’s thoughts. “We’re known to be the mysterious and hidden Kingdom to all. The Kingdom that has tons of trade with others, but not a single soul has met or seen a Royalty or citizen of Silva.”

_Silva… The Kingdom of Silva. What else are they known for?_

“The Sigils.” Adam explained, his gaze shifting from the cube to Elsa. “The Sigils are known to live in secret. Rumor has it that because they live in secret, they live near Silva, known to be a Kingdom that does not interact with anyone else. Furthermore, two of the Sigils wield the crest of Silva. Well…”

Belle looked at Adam questioningly, anticipating for him to say something.

“Rumor is true, but they don’t live near Silva. They are a part of Silva, regardless of whether or not they wear the Sigil of Silva on their backs. I may not be the best person to explain this to you, but instead, someone who is an actual Sigil may have the capacity to.” Adam chuckled.

_An actual Sigil?_

“Not until she recovers!” Belle scowled. Adam only rolled his eyes.

“I’m sure she will have a fast recovery in no time now that she’s awake. Besides, she must want to know how she exactly got here in the first place.” Adam gazed back at Elsa.

“Adam…” Belle started.

The Prince started rubbing his chin in thought. “She would probably also need some rehabilitation training and recovery. Maybe Master Aura could be a good choice to help, but of course, he doesn’t accept just anyone.” Adam’s blue eyes looked out the window. “Plus, not all the Sigils are back yet, so maybe she can just meet the ones that are here now.” The Prince was starting to mumble to himself in thought.

Belle sighed, her brown eyes giving Elsa an apologetic look before focusing back on the cube. Even though Elsa was thinking about the situation, she didn’t really have any other questions in mind besides Anna and Arendelle, but Belle didn’t seem to answer those questions as she gazed at the cube. _Huh, it must also tell her about my health or something._

The wolf-pup laid on its stomach and started wriggling its way over to the Protector, its front paws forward until the pup laid in front of Elsa. Tilting its head to the side, the pup hesitantly reached forward to sniff the Protector.

Elsa extended her hand out to the curious pup. The wolf flinched slightly at the sudden movement, baring its teeth at the sudden hand and causing Elsa to withdraw it quickly. The pup stopped baring its teeth, its predatory eyes softening immediately as it tilted its head to the side once again.

“My point is…” Prince Adam said after finishing his mumbling rant. “Elsa, you are in the Kingdom of Silva because we want to offer you a position to become a Sigil.”

Elsa’s eyes widened at Prince Adam’s proposal.

_They want me to become a Sigil? Why me? What value do I have that can be provided to the Sigils, the best fighters and spies known to man. I nearly died trying to fend off a large group of fighters. A Sigil can conquer what I failed to do with a flick of their wrist._

“You are an exceptional fighter, Elsa Winters. Although Silva does not nurture their relationships with other Kingdoms, we still hear rumors travel through the wind. We think you will be an amazing asset to the Sigils. If you join the Sigils, you’ll be able to expand your talent throughout the entire world!” Prince Adam started getting excited. “You will be able to not only help Arendelle from danger, but you’ll also help the entire world! Make the world a better place.”

Elsa laid in bed, her eyes wide, blinking in shock and surprise. The platinum-blonde haired girl was paralyzed in her position, unsure of what to exactly say.

_Surely, I must be dreaming! I must be dead, there is no possible way that I am in the Hidden Kingdom of Silva or being offered to be a Sigil. There is no possible –_

Elsa felt wetness on her cheek and quickly snapped out of her daze to notice the close proximity of the wolf-pup to her face. The pup licked Elsa’s cheek again, its tail waggling when the Protector had responded immediately by snapping her eyes to the small pup.

“He seems to like you.” Belle smiled, looking at the interaction between Elsa and the wolf-pup. The pup laid its head down on the bed, staring up at the Protector.

Prince Adam ran a hand through his luscious hair. “I know that this may seem sudden Elsa, but we do genuinely want you to join the Sigils. I understand that you may have a life back in Arendelle but think about all the lives that you can impact.”

Elsa sat there, unaware that a frown was making its way towards her lips. All the blonde girl could think about was Anna. _Arendelle…Anna. If I’m alive and this is real, I have to get back to her. I can’t… I have to –_

“I sense some initial hesitancy, and so, why don’t you join the Sigils tonight? They’re a close, tight-knit group of people that spend every meal and moment together, sharing the same common space and having their rooms connected to one another.” The Prince suggested with a smile. Adam turned towards Belle.

“Belle, do you think Elsa would be able to recover enough to interact with the Sigils tonight?”

The brunette woman turned away from the cube, taking a quick look at Adam before her brown eyes shifted towards Elsa. The young woman had something screaming within those eyes. Was it sympathy? Pity?

_Of course, she can read my thoughts through the cube._

“I think it’s possible.” Belle said, turning her gaze back to the Prince, who nodded his head excitedly.

“Perfect! I should get going to a meeting that I must attend, but Belle can definitely escort you to the part of the castle that the Sigils reside in for supper.” Prince Adam smiled. The man then bowed his head.

“It was a pleasure talking to you, Elsa. I will see you soon.” With that, the Prince scurried out of the room.

Instead of the wolf-pup following Prince Adam, he had stayed on the bed, his hazel eyes still gazing up at the wounded Protector.

“This pup has stayed by your side ever since you were brought to the castle.” Belle chuckled, looking with soft admiration between Elsa and the pup. “This wolf-pup was saved in the North Mountain by one of the Sigils. Although, ever since the pup has arrived, he has been rather playful or hostile with the other Sigils and people. No one has ever actually tamed the pup though, considering that the pup, although friendly and playful, doesn’t trust anyone else to be its partner.”

Elsa’s curious eyes glanced back at the pup, who kept its hazel gaze onto the girl tucked in bed. Elsa reached her hand forward, slowly and cautiously, but nowhere near the pup.

The small pup bared its teeth at first from the sudden movement, but immediately retracted it and tilted its head to the side in confusion. Elsa kept her hand there, her blue eyes softening and encouraging the pup to do what it needed to do.

The pup crawled forward, sniffing the air in front of Elsa’s hand for a brief moment. Elsa stood frozen, her blue eyes widening as she watched the pup lean its snout into the palm of Elsa’s hand.

Immediately following the gesture, the pup snuggled itself onto Elsa’s side. When Elsa’s blue eyes shifted towards the brunette on the chair, she saw how Belle’s own eyes were the size of moons, shock clearly etched across her features when she observed the interaction that had occurred seconds ago.

“Wow… uhm, he’s never done that… to anyone really.” Belle spoke with shocked surprise. Elsa gingerly reached her hand forward to pet the pup on the head, who purred instantly at the contact, closing its hazel eyes and leaning more into Elsa’s touch.

Belle cleared her throat, fiddling with her fingers in front of her. “Well, uhm… as Prince Adam has mentioned, you should be in good shape to be able to stand and interact with the other Sigils by supper. I’m sure he has already told them about your presence.” Belle looked down at the ground, her lips curving slightly downward in a frown. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know much about your situation. All I know is that you were found on a ship in critical condition and was immediately taken here. I know that you’re a Protector of Arendelle Royalty… but I don’t know anything else besides that, including anything about Anna.”

Elsa tensed when the brunette girl spoke her lover’s name. “Nothing?” her voice cracked, her pessimistic thoughts creeping in.

“Arendelle is fine. Two of the Sigils were delegated there because they suspected suspicious activity. I’m not sure if there were any other casualties, just that the people who were kidnapped were taken back to Arendelle.”

Elsa sighed, running her free hand through…

Her braid wasn’t in its usual, proper form, as her platinum-blonde locks splayed smoothly against the bed. So, Elsa ran her hand through her messy locks.

“You should get some rest, Elsa. I’ll be here if you need anything, okay? I don’t plan on leaving your side until your full recovery anyways.” The brunette girl chuckled, taking another glance at the cube.

So many thoughts were running through Elsa’s head that she wasn’t sure if she could rest. She didn’t know if she had the capacity to rest, the overwhelming stress of her conscious straining her mind from even allowing it to sleep and relax.

“It’s okay, don’t force yourself to sleep; It’ll just put more energy and pressure onto you. I can add a sleeping vial into your cube to help you sleep, but if not, then that is alright too. As long as you don’t move around, it should be okay. Would you want something to eat? I’ve been giving you potions that provide you with the appropriate nutrients and food, but I’m sure physical food would help as well.” Belle quickly rambled on.

“I-I’m okay.” Elsa rasped out, her vocal cords not hurting as much as it did the first time she spoke.

“Sleeping vial?” Belle asked, reaching into her pocket to retrieve a blue vial.

“Uhm..” Elsa seemed hesitant.

Belle gave the girl a reassuring smile. “It’ll help you rest and relax. The effects won’t kick in for another half an hour, but it’ll do something.”

Elsa looked between the vial and the brunette, her eyes shifting back and forth with hesitancy.

Figuring she really had nothing to lose at the current state she was in, Elsa nodded her head. With a single nod, Belle smiled before uncapping the cube and pouring the vial into the box. She capped the cube once more and looked at Elsa.

“Great, so thirty minutes before the effects kick in. I know I can’t answer a lot about your presence here, but would you want to know anything else?”

Elsa spoke up again, the rasp in her voice still present. “How about yourself?”

“What about me?” Belle giggled.

“Tell me about how you came here, how you specialize in potions, where you grew up, anything.” Elsa spoke.

Belle hummed, looking down at the ground again before speaking. “Well, I grew up in the Kingdom of Silva. My father was an inventor, and thankfully, that occupation isn’t considered psychotic in this Kingdom. My mother…” Belle sadly smiled at the ground.

Elsa read the clear uneasiness, sadness and hesitation that Belle had. “You don’t have to – “

Belle shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I’ve come to terms with it for a while now.” Belle sadly smiled. “My mother passed away when I was only five. Back then, Silva wasn’t as specialized in the medicine, so it was too difficult to diagnose her condition. I guess that’s another reason why I went into studying potions.” Belle sadly laughed, continuing to fiddle with her fingers.

Elsa hesitantly reached forward as Belle’s eyes watered and her fingers continued to fiddle. Her cool, pale fingers were gingerly placed over Belle’s fiddling ones. The brunette girl looked up; her eyes full of tears while Elsa gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

“I-…” Belle started.

“It’ll be okay, I’m sure your mother would have been proud of you.” Elsa kindly smiled.

Belle nodded her head, looking down, her hands stopping its motions due to Elsa’s overlapping one. “Silva was never meant to live in secrecy… It’s just that there are bad people out there that yearn for Silva’s power. Due to the Kingdom’s power, those who have Silva blood in them have powers beyond the ordinary human. It may not be as great, but nonetheless, the royal blood naturally has powers. It always comes at a cost though.” Belle explained, her eyes looking up to precariously glance at Elsa before looking out the window.

The brunette continued. “Something happened five years that also resulted in my father’s death. He was an inventor, and so, he worked for the castle and the Royal family. People form outside of Silva were greedy for the treasure that Silva held. They went to ends to destroy the Kingdom, and it was going to die.” Belle paused, sadly smiling at the Protector.

“It is not my place nor my decision to tell you about the nature of Silva. We live in secrecy for a reason.” Belle sighed, her brown eyes shifting back to the window. “If anyone were to leave Silva, they will recollect no memories of their time in the Kingdom nor the location of how to reach the Kingdom. Regarding the history of Silva, I believe that it is up to the Sigils or the Royal family to decide whether or not more information should be disclosed to you.”

Elsa nodded her head, feeling tiredness creep upon her. The platinum-blonde haired girl yawned. “That’s okay, I understand.”

Belle’s brown eyes shifted back again to Elsa, noting how the bedridden Protector’s eyes were getting heavy. “You should feel new and healed by the time you wake up. I’ll be here to make sure you’re okay.” Elsa heard, before feeling her eyes close and a comforting darkness envelope her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few chapters to connect and build important information before we dive in to the summary!


	16. The Sigils

When the Protector awoken, as promised, Belle sat there by her side. The brunette was currently looking at the cube, most likely looking at certain diagnostics of the blonde girl. Meanwhile, the pup was staring up at Elsa from the corner of the bed, its tail wagging vigorously.

Although, only a second after Elsa had awoken, Belle’s brown eyes shifted to the girl on the bed. The brunette beauty offered the Protector a small smile. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel okay.” Elsa replied in response. The Protector felt… rejuvenated even, as if she had the best sleep ever. The platinum-blonde haired girl stretched her body out on the bed before sitting up.

“Your vitals seem okay, and everything seems stable for the most part. You should be recovered and probably just need some movement to stimulate those muscles.” Belle said, her brown eyes solely focused on the cube.

Elsa nodded her head, looking down at the patch that connected her to the cube. “What time is it?”

Belle started tapping against the cube. “It’s almost supper. I’m just going to shut this down and take that patch off of you before escorting you to the Sigils.”

The brunette woman proceeded to reach over to Elsa’s arm, gingerly grabbing part of her upper arm and peeling off the patch from the pale skin. Belle placed the patch on top of the cube before standing from her seat, offering a hand to the blonde.

“Your legs may feel very weak once you stand, especially since you have been out for a while. Thankfully, I had a potion that will help with that, but the initial stand may be a bit unsteady.”

Heeding that in mind, Elsa carefully swung her legs over the bed so that her feet were dangling off at the side. She reached over to grab onto Belle’s warm hand and kept her blue eyes on the ground. When her feet touched the ground, Elsa slowly stood up, placing weight on her feet and noticing just how wobbly her legs were.

The pup hopped off of the bed and sat on the ground, waiting patiently.

Elsa held her ground, feeling her legs wobble while using her other hand to grasp onto the bedpost, balancing herself between the bedpost and Belle’s support.

“Let’s take a few steps, okay? I got you.” Belle offered her other hand to Elsa. The blonde looked up, her blue eyes meeting the warm brown. Nodding her head, Elsa released her hand from the bedpost to grab onto Belle’s other hand.

Belle took a couple of steps backwards while Elsa took a couple of steps forward. Her legs continued to wobble, but as Belle continued to walk backwards, with Elsa following in suit, the Protector noted how there was a smooth transition in the shakiness of her legs. The pup followed along as the two moved forward.

Belle was able to release one of Elsa’s hands, opening the bedroom door and guiding the Protector out of the bedroom. Elsa’s eyes swept across the halls of the castle, admiring the exposed, smooth and shiny stone walls. Some of the walls were covered over by a soft, navy blue wallpaper that was randomly decorated with orange trees.

Once blood and strength flowed back into her legs, Elsa tugged her hand away from Belle, signaling for the girl that she was alright. The brunette woman nodded her head, releasing her grip from Elsa before continuing to guide her through the castle.

On the way there, Elsa noted how they had to shift from one end of the castle to the other end, scaling flights of stairs until they reached a hallway that lacked the orange trees on the wallpaper. The wallpaper had slowly transitioned to a pure white wallpaper. The hallway only held a single, black door that was at the end of the hall straight ahead. As they walked towards the door, Elsa saw how there were no other doors to the left or the right.

_Does this single door connect everything beyond the walls of the hallway?_

Once they reached the end of the hall, Elsa stood next to Belle. The brunette raised her small hand and knocked a certain pattern against the door.

_Knock knock, knock, knock, knock knock, knock, knock knock knock, knock_

The sounds of muffled voices were heard beyond the door, followed by footsteps approaching the door. Belle stood there, her hands clasped together in the front of her body, patiently waiting for someone to open the door.

The commotion beyond the door had died down, and the footsteps increased in volume. The doorknob jiggled slightly before the door slowly opened, not a single creak being made as the black door swung inwards. The small pup squeezed its way through the cracks and ran into the room.

As the gap between the door and the door frame increased, Elsa was able to slightly see the interior of the room.

Elsa’s blue eyes widened when she saw someone she was not expecting to see behind the door.

_None of this makes sense… how? What? She’s supposed to be…_

There stood someone she hasn’t seen in the past two years. There stood a girl with bright green eyes wearing a light purple off-the-shoulder shirt and maroon shorts that reached to the middle of her thigh. Her, once neck-length, brown hair had grown barely past her shoulders.

_The last time I saw her was two years ago… once she was found, before she…_

Nothing made sense. This girl was the lost Princess of the Kingdom of Corona, who was only found two years ago at the age of eighteen. The lost Princess, who was found for a temporary moment, only to be lost at sea two months later.

Anna’s cousin.

Elsa only recalls meeting Rapunzel once, when she was found and assisted by another man named Flynn. When the discovery of the lost Princess was known, Arendelle’s royal family had embarked to Corona to meet the young Princess. Elsa remembers the warm conversation she had with Rapunzel as the lost Princess bonded with Anna and herself.

Then, something happened that caused the Princess’s and Flynn’s disappearance. Flynn was the cause of it, and he was the reason why the girl was missing. He had worked with other people to capture and torture the young Princess, and he had the audacity to show his face again in the Kingdom a week later. Eventually, he ran, and the Princess arrived back in the arms of her family.

Although, she disappeared again when she was planning to sail to another Kingdom on her own, being lost at sea.

Everyone has been searching for her the past two years… and yet, here she was.

The girl behind the door offered Elsa a small smile and open arms.

“Elsa…” the girl said softly.

“How… what? No, I must be hallucinating…” Elsa started, her eyes growing wider as the girl shook her head.

“No, Elsa. It’s me, it’s really me.” Rapunzel confessed.

With that, Elsa threw her arms around the older girl, causing Rapunzel to immediately wrap her own around the young Protector.

“How is this possible? What are you doing here?” Elsa breathed, pulling away to look at the elder.

Rapunzel offered her a sad smile. “It’s complicated, but I will tell you eventually. We all have our stories, which you will get to know soon hopefully.”

_We all?_

Elsa’s eyes traveled over Rapunzel’s shoulder to really take in the room. To the left was a neat, clean, industrial kitchen with stainless steel appliances and a quartz kitchen island, high seats scattered around the perimeter of the kitchen island except at the shorter ends. The kitchen itself had a mix of glossy, white cabins or light-colored wood cabins. The entire floor that expanded from the open kitchen to the connected living room was decked out in a light greyish-brown shade of wooden tiles.

To the right was a living room that had a campfire within the wall nearest to Elsa, a glass pane enabling people to see and feel the warmth of the campfire. There were two couches, one facing the campfire another facing a large screen; the large screen was hanging on the right wall where the Protector stood. Elsa’s blue eyes noted three people squeezed on the couch that was facing the campfire, their eyes curious as they were staring straight at her. Although, once they caught Elsa’s gaze, the three people immediately looked away, minding their own business while trying to cover up the fact that they were caught staring.

Elsa noted a girl in the middle of two boys. The girl wore a dark teal hoodie with short, light brown pants that reached the beginning of her knee, contrasting her fair skin, orange, frizzy hair and sky-blue, diamond shaded eyes. She was trying to make conversation to the boy that was sitting to her left, who had the thickest eyebrows that the Protector has ever seen.

The boy was slim but muscular. He had broad shoulders, a darker skin tone, black, messy hair that reached to the nape of his neck, and bangs that was splayed across his forehead. He was wearing a royal purple collared shirt that was unbuttoned, showcasing his pecs and flat, toned stomach with off-white breeches. His dark, brown eyes were nervously shifting between the girl and the last boy.

The boy that was closest to Elsa was none other than Eugene Fitzherbert… or Flynn Rider? Elsa didn’t really know… the last time Elsa met him, he introduced himself as Flynn while Rapunzel constantly addressed him as Eugene.

Flynn looked exactly as he did two years ago: dark, brown luscious hair, brown eyes, defined eyebrows, somewhat-tan skin tone and a bit of hair on his chin that Elsa would barely call a beard. His attire didn’t change unlike Rapunzel. He still wore his brown breeches, dark, brown leather belt, a white tunic that rolled up to his elbows with a blue vest on top of the tunic.

Flynn, unlike the other two, continued to stare at Elsa and even offered her a small wave.

The sight of the man confused Elsa greatly. _Why is Flynn here? He’s the outlaw, he’s the enemy, he’s –_

“Elsa… Please trust me when I say that Flynn is innocent.” Rapunzel’s green eyes bore into Elsa’s blue ones. When Elsa looked into the Lost Princess’s eyes, she was able to distinct pure authenticity and… love?

“What you heard before is false and complicated. Please Elsa, trust me. All that you heard before is false and… I love him.” Rapunzel confessed, casting a look towards the outlaw that sat on the couch.

Elsa sighed, nodding her head. _All I can do is trust her._

Elsa continued to observe the room.

There was a hallway on each side of the room. One hallway was right behind one of the couches on the left side while there was another hallway on the left side of the room, behind the kitchen wall, that exactly reflected the location of where the entrance of the other hallway was.

Right above the entrance of the left hallway was an empty area lined with mats, a portion of the area had a wall jutting out with a door.

When Elsa’s blue eyes shifted right behind Rapunzel, her eyes widened when she noted the last individual in the room.

The was a balcony that had double doors straight ahead. The balcony was wide open, showcasing the view of the ocean beyond the confines of the room. The cool, ocean draft crept into the room while one individual stood on the balcony, leaning their body against the rails with their arms crossed against their chest.

The girl leaning against the balcony rail had voluminous, long, bright red hair that blew with the wind. Her red bangs were long and swept to the side, unaffected by the blowing wind. She wore an ocean-green skirt that reached the middle of her thighs and a purple, spaghetti-strapped tank top that still exposed her midsection. Those familiar, ocean blue eyes gazed into Elsa’s soul.

The girl leaning against the balcony scoffed and shook her head, being the first to speak out. “What did I say about keeping an eye out for the Princess?”

Her statement only confirmed Elsa’s suspicions. Pulling away from Rapunzel, Elsa sighed and ran a hang through her platinum-blonde tresses.

“I tried.” Elsa answered.

“I know.” The girl sighed, taking a few steps from the balcony to enter into the room. “You were on the verge of dying when we came. Thankfully, traveling through the sea is my specialty and luckily enough, Rapunzel’s tears can last for a week with the help of a potion and a specialized bottle.” The redhead proceeded to make her way towards Elsa, whose eyes wide at the statement.

“We came? Sea?” Elsa inquired, her head tilting to the side in confusion. Rapunzel stepped to the side when the redhead arrived behind the brunette.

She stuck her hand out. “I’m Ariel, Silva’s Sigil of the Southern Isles.”

Elsa’s eyes widened even further. This girl, her dance partner, the girl that warned her to keep an eye out for Anna at the Winter Solstice Ball, is a Sigil. At the ball, she looked like an innocent, pure girl.

_How is she a Sigil?_

Elsa extended her hand out, shaking Ariel’s. “Elsa.”

Ariel rolled her ocean, blue eyes. “I know.” The Sigil retracted her hand before turning to the three others that were sitting on the couch. She crossed her arms across her chest again and raised her eyebrow. “Shouldn’t you three be introducing yourselves as well?”

The girl with orange hair and the boy with the exposed chest quickly scrambled off the couch and made their way towards Elsa. Meanwhile, Flynn leaned against the couch, placing both of his hands behind his head as he watched in amusement.

The girl with the orange hair was the first to introduce herself, taking her hands out of her dark teal hoodie and offering Elsa a hand. Elsa accepted and immediately felt the strong grip around her hand. Her heavy, Scottish accent being prevalent in each syllable that was pronounced. “Name’s Merida.”

Once Merida retracted her hand, she took a step back while the boy with the unbuttoned, collared shirt stepped forward. He offered his own hand out. The boy had a more light but firm grip. He shook Elsa’s hand in a somewhat playful manner. “Hi! My name’s Aladdin.”

“Eugene!” Ariel barked. The man on the couch rolled his brown eyes, releasing a dramatic sigh before standing up.

“She knows me already! Besides, who would forget this.” Eugene gestured down to his body as he waltzed his way over to Elsa. The man offered Elsa a charming smile then turned to Ariel with a scowl on his face. “Also, don’t call me Eugene.”

He turned back to Elsa and offered her his charming smile again. “Flynn Rider, but you should know that by now.” He extended his hand forward. When Elsa reached over to shake it, Flynn took her hand and brought it to his lips, placing a kiss on the back of her hand.

Ariel and Rapunzel rolled their eyes when Flynn released Elsa’s hand. Elsa, on the other hand, seemed unfazed, even confused, at the gesture.

“Uhmm… okay?” Elsa retracted her hand away.

“Way to make it awkward.” Aladdin complained, his brown eyes turning to Flynn.

“Shut it lover boy.” Flynn bit back, causing Aladdin’s cheek to flush a bright red.

“Okay, so who’s going to break the news to Elsa?” Rapunzel asked. Merida shook her head and started heading towards the kitchen.

Merida replied from the kitchen. “I just met the lass and was not the Sigil assigned to the Arendelle mission, so I’m the worst qualified. I’d rather help cook than explain.”

Aladdin quickly nodded his head, following Merida in suit. “Same!”

Rapunzel quickly answered her own question. “Well, I am not leaving those two to cook our supper on their own, so…” the girl gave Elsa a sympathetic smile before walking to the adjoining kitchen.

Flynn’s eyes widened as he looked between Ariel and Elsa. “Oh, hell no, I am not going to be in this conversation, especially with this brute.” Flynn received a glare from Ariel as left the pair to join the others in the kitchen.

“I guess it’s up to me since Jack isn’t back yet.” Ariel sighed. The redhead pointed at the door behind Elsa. “Close that door, will ya?”

Elsa turned around, noting how Belle wasn’t standing there anymore. _She must have left during the introductions._

Elsa took a step forward to close the door. When she did close the door, she felt a rush of wind flow into the room. Turning around, her blue eyes focused on a figure that suddenly appeared on the balcony. The figure wore a black cloak with their hood up, midnight black epaulettes on their shoulders that were each donned with a rainbow jewel. Their back, faced towards the room, held an orange tree right at the center. The mysterious person was currently petting a large bird on its beak. The bird nudged its head forward, cooing slightly at the gesture.

 _This… this is what Kallum exactly described a Sigil to be._ Elsa looked in awe as the bird flapped its giant wings, departing from the balcony and flying to the left.

When the mysterious person turned around, Elsa noted how their entire body and all their features were covered by the cloak they wore. Elsa could feel the eyes hiding behind the hood staring into her soul, causing the Protector to slightly shiver.

The individual reached up with their bare hands to pull their hood down, unveiling a man with pure white hair and a black mask that had the design of a long branch with a “C” curve at one end of the branch, stretching across the length of the mask. Tiny, pink cherry blossoms decorated both on and around the branch, while the classic rainbow jewel was also encrusted on the mask.

Behind the mask was cobalt blue eyes that stared right into Elsa’s soul. The man reached up to take off his mask, showcasing his pale skin tone, nose and cobalt blue eyes. The man offered Elsa a friendly smile before walking towards the empty area with the protruding wall and door. The Sigil took off his cloak, revealing that he was wearing a cobalt blue hoodie and brown breeches. He proceeded to open the closet, revealing five other, black coats and masks, each having their own design.

Elsa’s eyes noted how there were two cloaks with a yellow sun, another cloak with the same orange tree, one cloak with a circle that contained four more overlapping circles followed by a sword right in the center, the edge pointed downward, and one cloak with two swords clashed against each other with red handles in front of a golden shield backdrop.

The man quickly hooked his coat up and placed his mask next to the other five before closing the door. He turned around, offering Elsa a small smile before gesturing towards the couches.

Elsa’s blue eyes stared at the man as she raked at her brain. _Why does he look so familiar?_

“I assume that the rest of them chickened out?” the man chuckled, turning to Ariel. The girl nodded her head before rolling her blue eyes.

“Perfect timing for you to come back. You got this handled?” Ariel asked.

“Maybe you could help me fill out the blanks just in case I’m missing out on anything. Besides, you were the only one that actually interacted with her during the Winter Solstice.” The man decided to walk towards Elsa.

He offered his hand with a warm smile. “I’m Jack, the leader of all these chickens.” He joked.

Elsa’s eyes narrowed as she shook the man’s cool hand. “I’m Elsa… but why do you look so familiar?”

Her question earned curious gazes from those in the kitchen and a confused one from Ariel. Jack only gave Elsa a small smile. “We each have our own stories.”

_That same saying again…_

“Come. We should talk in the living room area.” Jack said, motioning his head towards the couches before leading the way.

Ariel and Elsa followed along. Jack sat at the center of the couch facing the campfire while Ariel was behind the couch he sat on, leaning forward with her elbows on the top of the couch. Elsa sat on the perpendicular couch that was facing the screen hanging on the wall, looking at the two in anticipation. _He didn’t deny my question… does that mean I have seen him before?_

“Hmmm where to start.” Jack said, tapping his chin with his finger.

“Where would you want us to start?” Ariel turned to Elsa.

Elsa sat there, thinking through about where she wanted them to begin. As much as she would want to ask about why Jack was so familiar, she thought that should be another conversation for a later time. “How about after the Masquerade ball?”

“Well, it’s fairly simple.” Ariel replied. “I gave you the warning to watch out, and you let your love for royalty get the best of you and make you vulnerable. Jack and I were undercover in Arendelle at the start of the celebrations and came in to help defeat the enemies before the rest had fled to sea.”

Jack rolled his eyes at Ariel’s statement. “Basically, when we arrived, nearly three-fourths of them were already back on their ships. We defeated the rest and had to follow those who escaped. There are two mini ships and one large ship, but when we had caught up early morning, the large ship was completely annihilated and frozen in ice.”

Elsa tilted her head to the side. “Ice? Does that mean you have ice powers?”

Jack laughed, shaking his head. “I wish, but no, I, as we all in this room, have different powers. The other two ships did not move an inch, stuck in the ocean by some sort of ice. The enemies on the mini ships were confused, and we were able to clean them up easily. Thankfully, all those that were kidnapped had been on the two mini ships.”

“So, you’re saying that this person with ice powers had saved the ships? Where do I play in this story?” Elsa asked.

A loud crash was heard, and all three heads turned to the kitchen, seeing a Rapunzel scolding three individuals as they sat on the ground, flour encasing the counters and floors. Ariel sighed, rolling her eyes and advancing towards the kitchen to help, leaving Elsa and Jack alone.

“I guess she has to deal with those chickens.” Jack chuckled, turning his blue gaze back to Elsa. “Right, so you play in this story because the only remains of the main ship that was annihilated was a cell on top of a piece of wood, ice crackling over the wood and the cell. When we looked into the cell, we found you laying there on the brink of death, your body covered in a frost of ice.”

Elsa’s eyes widened and Jack nodded his head vigorously. “We were both surprised as well. Ariel and I were able to break the frozen bars, and when we approached you, all of the severe wounds that you had were frozen in ice, as if it was trying to protect you from dying and bleeding to death. Once we had found you, we used Rapunzel’s tears that we all carry to make sure that your wounds would heal. Although, I guess your powers exerted for a prolonged period of time that you entered into a state of unconsciousness. We brought the victims back to Arendelle but brought you here instead.”

“And why wasn’t I taken to Arendelle?”

“Well, we have advanced technology here so we are properly equipped to help you with your recovery. Furthermore, your ice powers that you showed is by far stronger than any of our powers currently. Heck, it could be compared to the Silva royal bloodline’s powers, and that’s very rare.”

Elsa narrowed her eyes at the man. “But how do you know that the ice powers stemmed from me? I’ve never…” Elsa paused, thinking about any occurrence when these “powers” of hers existed.

Jack answered smoothly. “We knew the power stemmed from you while we were trying to take you back to recover. We just had a hunch initially, but it was confirmed after we ran some diagnostics tests. I’m assuming that you did not know of your ice powers existence?”

Elsa continued to search her brain for anything. _When was there ever a time that my ice powers kicked in? I can’t think of anything except…_

Her crystal, blue eyes widened when she recalled her mission and the man with the blonde hair.

“I mean, there was this one time…” Elsa started. Jack nodded his head in encouragement, anticipating for Elsa to answer his question, but he also had this strange look, as if he knew what she was going to say next.

“I went on a mission with the Spymaster of Arendelle, and I came across this guy that kept questioning how I slowed down his speed, how I was still living when he struck me.”

Jack’s head nod quickened in pace. “He had blonde hair and yellow eyes? He wore gold armor and had a yellow sword? When you were fighting him, did it feel like you had excruciating pain of electricity shooting through you at times?”

Elsa nodded her head slightly. “He did have blonde hair, yellow eyes, gold armor and a yellow sword, but I didn’t feel any excruciating pain through means of electricity, just tiny jolts of it run through my spine.”

Jack smiled widely. “Ah yes, you were the one that defeated the Thunder lord? He is known to be as fast as lightening, but it seems that your powers may have had something to do with your fight against him.”

“He did question what I did to his speed.” Elsa mumbled, recalling the man’s words in her fight with him.

“Your ice powers, although did not physically materialize, had probably slowed down his movements and prevented the electricity from causing pain throughout your body.” Jack explained. “I believe that with appropriate training, your powers can flourish to become very powerful. One of the many reasons why we brought you back here.”

“Many?” Elsa asked.

Jack nervously laughed, glancing back at the kitchen to track their progress. “Besides coming to help you recover, we wanted to help you improve and harness your powers. As I mentioned, your powers can be equivalent to that of a Silva bloodline, one of the many bloodlines in this world that are gifted with outstanding power. From there… we would want you to be part of the Sigils.”

“One of the many bloodlines? There are more people out there with powers? And who else is a Sigil?”

“Yes, there are other people in this world that don’t live in the Kingdom of Silva with magical powers. For example, there was a guy in the red tunic in Arendelle if you recall.” Elsa nodded her head. “He has the power to materialize and transport himself through anyone’s blood.”

Elsa’s jaw dropped. _No wonder why I didn’t see him and how he appeared out of nowhere. I knew my headcount wasn’t off._

Jack continued. “Others with magical powers live in hiding, live ordinary lives, or are part of another group that conspires against the Sigils. Although, not all of the group that conspires has powers, just like how not everyone in the Kingdom of Silva has powers as well. The only people that really have powers in the Kingdom of Silva is the royal bloodline and the Sigils. Regarding who else is a Sigil, well, everyone in this room is a Sigil.”

Elsa’s eyes widened again as they glanced back at the people in the kitchen. Merida, Aladdin and Flynn were cleaning up the mess they made while Rapunzel and Ariel were finishing up cooking supper.

Jack’s voice broke through the silence. “Yes, those chickens, _my_ _chickens,_ are all Sigils. They each all have powers, and they each all have their own story as to how they got here. They all weren’t born into being a Sigil, nor were they born knowing they had powers. Before those chickens were Sigils, there were others… I wasn’t always the leader of this group.” Jack sadly stated.

Elsa turned back to the man; his eyes somber as he looked at the ground. Without looking up at Elsa, he continued. “There was a tragic event that occurred in Silva five years ago, and as a result, we lost a lot of people… innocent civilians, wildlife, people who lived in this castle…” Jack sighed, his shoulders tensing as his gaze became angry, even disappointed. He balled his hands into fists. “It was…something unexpected. Silva came out victorious in the end, but at the cost that was heavy to all who still lived in Silva during the time.”

Jack shook his head, his blue eyes changing back to normal as he looked back up and gave Elsa a sympathetic smile. “We want you to join the Sigils because we believe that you can help make a difference in this world. You can help all these innocent people with your powers, and you can use your talents beyond just the walls of Arendelle.” Jack started. Before Elsa could give her answer, Jack raised his hand, halting her from speaking as he continued.

“But I also understand if you don’t want to leave what you left behind in Arendelle. I will not force you into becoming a Sigil, and I completely understand if you would want to go back to your life in Arendelle. I fully support and encourage you to go back to Arendelle if you do choose so. Unlike Ariel, love is one of the strongest things in the world, and I would rather you go for that love than leave it behind.” Jack finished.

Elsa nodded her head, sitting there and staring at the hands on her lap. She wasn’t going to be forced to be a Sigil, and there were no hard feelings if she decided to go back to Arendelle.

_Anna._

Elsa quickly used one hand to dig into her pants, feeling the photo immediately on the tips of her finger.

_Thank goodness Belle placed the picture back after cleaning my clothes while I was unconscious._

Without thinking, Elsa pulled out the photo to see her lover, still sitting in front of the lights of the town square, smiling brightly at the camera.

“Is that?...” Elsa heard Jack’s voice. The Protector looked up to see Jack eyeing the photo in Elsa’s hand.

“You still have something to go back to, Elsa. Don’t let the pressure of being a Sigil stop you from going back. I’m sure Anna misses you dearly.” Jack commented.

Elsa nodded her head, looking back down at the photo with a small smile. She wondered how the young girl was doing. Although, Elsa thought back to Jack’s statement, her forehead creased as she recalled Jack mentioning Anna’s name. He is a Sigil, so he should know a lot of information, but how would he know about her love for Anna?

It brought Elsa back to her initial thought of Jack. Why he looks so familiar and why he didn’t deny the fact that he was someone that has been in Elsa’s life before.

The Protector looked up, about to open her mouth to ask the question when Rapunzel’s voice interrupted them from the kitchen.

“Dinner is ready! Get in here, now.”

Jack laughed, standing up from the couch and motioning his head towards the kitchen island. “We should get going before Rapunzel has both of our heads for not eating.”

The leader of the Sigils started striding towards the kitchen. Elsa closed her mouth, a frown perched upon her lips because she didn’t get the answer to the question she wanted to ask.

“Elsa!” Rapunzel yelled from the kitchen.

The Protector quickly placed the photo back into her pocket before standing up and making her way to the kitchen island.

There was a vacant seat on the left side that was right across from Aladdin and to the left of Jack. Respectively, next to Aladdin were Flynn and Merida, while next to Jack were Ariel and Rapunzel. Elsa quickly took the vacant seat, hopping on the highchair and looking down at her plate to notice salmon, rice and assorted vegetables. Next to the plate was a bowl of a brown, foggy soup with pieces of tofu and seaweed while in the middle of the kitchen island was a breadbasket.

“Got that bread myself from the market! It’s the best bread in Silva.” Aladdin smiled, gesturing for Elsa to grab some. The Protector nodded her head, reaching over to grab a slice while everyone else already had some on their plate.

“Tell us about yourself!” Aladdin exclaimed, his brown eyes looking into Elsa’s blue ones. Elsa smiled at the boy, rubbing the back of her neck nervously.

“Well, what don’t you guys know?” The Protector inquired.

“Good question.” Merida chimed in, taking a bite out of her salmon.

Aladdin only shrugged his shoulders. “That doesn’t matter, just tell us more about yourself.”

Elsa looked between the faces on the table. Aladdin, Rapunzel and Jack were giving Elsa encouraging looks while Flynn and Ariel had curiousity cross their countenance. Merida was half attentive, half devouring her food.

Elsa’s hesitancy and silence spoke volumes. So, Aladdin gave Elsa a supportive smile. “I can start!”

This earned an eyeroll from both Ariel and Flynn.

“Well, my story is pretty simple and straightforward. I was an orphan slash thief growing up on the streets of the Kingdom of Silva with my friend, Abu, who is an actual monkey may I add.” Aladdin started. Elsa tilted her head to the side in confusion.

“A monkey?” she asked.

“Yes, lass. A monkey.” Merida answered, taking another bite of her salmon.

“We all have our own companions thanks to Aladdin’s ability and our natural relationship with our companions.” Jack explained with a smile.

“Companions? I’ve never heard of the Sigils having a companion.” Elsa inquired.

“It’s not well known because people think they’re just random animals that we train, which is true, but we have a whole armada of them. We have our own companions that travel with us on our missions.” Rapunzel smiled.

“All thanks to my powers!” Aladdin exclaimed with a triumphant smile.

Ariel rolled her eyes. “Except his powers can’t help him communicate with animals of the sea. Besides that, he can communicate, tame and sometimes even control all other animals.”

“That’s why we have you, Ariel. For the sea and all the water is.” Flynn pointed out, sipping his soup.

“Anyways.” Aladdin started. “I grew up on the streets with Abu until I was about eight years old, when Jack, William and Princess Jasmine had spotted me one summer afternoon. Abu and I were messing with the wrong people, and so, we definitely got a beating that would have costed us our lives! We were basically dying in the alleyway.”

Elsa tilted her head to the side in confusion again, wondering who William and Princess Jasmine were. Furthermore, Aladdin seemed to have been explaining this with such… joy? Explaining how he was near the brink of death with his companion in an alleyway in the most jubilant manner seemed so peculiar. _Is he always this happy? Why is he smiling about the fact that he was basically dying as a kid?_

“The three of them had taken us to the castle and nurtured us back to health. During my time at the castle, that’s when I discovered that I had powers regarding my affinity to animals. I helped Princess Jasmine talk to her pet tiger, Rajah, and was able to diagnose what was wrong with the poor fella. I was supposed to go back to the streets…” Aladdin started, his smile widening while his brown eyes started to gaze in the distance in a dopey sort of matter.

“But Princess Jasmine had wanted me and Abu to stay. She deemed that it wasn’t safe for me to live off in the street again, and that she and her family can help provide me with the proper things that I need. Of course, I didn’t want to feel like I was freeloading, so in return, I helped around the castle with the stables and the horses. I became best friends with Jasmine…” Aladdin released a pleasant sigh, causing both Flynn and Ariel to roll their eyes.

“Sure, friends. This lover boy nearly passes out when Jasmine even breathes the same air as him, especially when him and Abu are working out in the training room.” Flynn laughs. Aladdin turns to the man, a frown perched upon his face and his brown eyes narrowing at the older man.

“I do not!” Aladdin retaliates.

“Sure, keep telling yourself that.” Ariel mused.

Aladdin glared at Ariel while Flynn mocked. “P-P-Princess Jasmine!”

Aladdin started flushing at Flynn’s comment, causing the latter, Ariel and Rapunzel to burst out in laughter. Merida continued to eat with a mouth full, amused at scene that unfolded.

“Little Aladdin just don’t make sure the soon-to-be new King finds out! He’s very protective over his sister.” Jack teased, fully understanding what was causing a flushed Aladdin at their dinner.

“Oh! The other day, Aladdin was training in the castle’s gym with Abu, and Princess Jasmine came in with baked goods to give him. And of course, Aladdin here became a stuttering mess to the point where he dropped a weight on his foot! Thank goodness Abu was there to make sure that didn’t happen.” Flynn snickered, watching his teammate flush a deeper red.

“Awww, that’s cute. The Princess being in this castle is the only reason why you stay with us, isn’t it Aladdin?” Ariel teased as the boy shook his head.

“N-n-no! Of course not! Fighting for what’s right and alongside with you guys is what is keeping me to stay.” Aladdin tried to say firmly.

“But Princess Jasmine is a much bigger boost.” Rapunzel said with a grin.

“Heck, I would think that if you weren’t in this team, you would be part of the Royal Guard for the Princess. It’s good to know what would happen if we kick you out.” Jack joked.

“Yeah, yeah whatever.” Aladdin grumbled before turning his eyes towards Elsa, giving her a small smile. “Sorry about them, but I hope you believe that I’m not in this team only to get into the Princess’ pants.”

“You want to get into the Princess’ pants?! You sly dog.” Flynn teased again.

“Oh, shut it!” Aladdin frowned. Aladdin’s brown eyes turned to Elsa. “Anyways, this mister over here.” Aladdin pointed at Jack “He made me his personal assistant. I wasn’t complaining because I wanted to help and earn the roof under my head and free food. Little did I know, after a tragic event five years ago and the loss of people, Jack here was promoted to spymaster at the age of 20! Of course, he didn’t ask me to join until a year after being promoted spymaster when I was 15. I’ve been with the Sigils for four years now, being the second oldest member after Ariel.”

Elsa nodded her head, looking at the people before her as she tried to connect the pieces. _Okay, so it seems like there were other Sigils before the event that seems to tie with the battle that Belle had mentioned… so what happened in the battle and the other, older members? Jack is the leader and Aladdin only joined after this event. Does that mean that Ariel was there before the event broke loose? Who is William?_

Elsa’s blue eyes gazed at Rapunzel, Merida and Flynn. _Where do they play a part in this? Rapunzel was classified as a missing Princess only two years ago… which means that her and Flynn had to join from then until now. If we look at age, Aladdin is only two years older than me, being 19, while Jack is eight years older than me, being twenty-five. Rapunzel and Flynn should both be twenty right now…_

“Lass, just ask us a question instead of sitting there while your brain tries to play a game of puzzle.” Merida said, taking another huge bite of a new piece of bread.

Elsa paused, thinking of a way to not ask such a personal question. _They each have their own story…_

“How old are you all, and how long have each of you been with the Sigils for?” Elsa asked first, figuring that asking this question would allow everyone around the table to answer.

“I’ve already answered with my story, so next person up.” Aladdin vocalized.

“Well…” Rapunzel started. “Flynn and I are both twenty and have been with the Sigils for two years.” The brunette girl shifted her eyes away from Elsa’s piercing blue ones, a somber smile making its way towards her lips.

“Aye, lass. Give me a second to think.” Merida pondered, tapping her chin with her piece of bread. “Ah yes! I am nineteen-years-old, the same age as Aladdin, but I have been with the Sigils for only three years.”

Ariel was the next to reply. “I’m the second oldest here being twenty-three, and I’ve been with the Sigils for five years. Although, I’ve only been with them starting after the event.”

“And finally, I’m twenty-five years old and have been with the Sigils for seventeen years, making me the oldest in both Sigil experience and age itself.” Jack finished.

Elsa nodded her head, taking a couple of bites of the food that was served to her.

“What about you, lass? How old are ye?”

Elsa took a minute to chew and swallow her food. “I’m seventeen.”

Aladdin nodded his head a bit too vigorously. “That’s cool! Tell us more about yourself.”

The Protector placed her utensils down slowly. Her blue eyes swept the room again to receive encouraging gazes from all of Sigils, except Merida, who was still stuffing her face with food, and Ariel, who was looking down at her lap, her eyes dazed out.

Elsa rubbed the back of her neck nervously. “Well, I was raised and born within the walls of Arendelle, bred to become the Protector to the only child of King Agnarr and Queen Iduna. I was trained under my father for the first seventeen years of my life, then was thrown to be trained under the Spymaster of Arendelle. I became best friends with the Princess of Arendelle and well…” Elsa closed her mouth, unsure if she should disclose her full relationship with Anna.

“You can just say it, we all know.” Rapunzel encouraged, knowing fully well the reasoning behind Elsa’s pause.

“I… Princess Anna and I fell in love with each other. I don’t exactly know when we grew feelings for each other…” Elsa looked up to see that Aladdin’s smile widened, his brown eyes encouraging Elsa to continue. The man’s comfort gave Elsa the boost of confidence she needed. “Well, we just did. We fell in love and then the attack on Arendelle happened… and well, the rest is history.” The Protector finished, her gaze shifting back down to her lap.

“And yet, you let your feelings for royalty cut you down and make you vulnerable.” Ariel scoffed, standing up from her seat.

“Ariel…” Jack started, his blue eyes softening when he looked at his oldest member.

The sounds of a chair scrapping against the ground was heard. Elsa looked up to notice that Aladdin stood from his seat, his hands on the kitchen island while his brown eyes glared at Ariel.

“I don’t understand why you despise all Royalty so much! Not all of them are bad.” Aladdin hissed.

“We need to all calm down.” Jack tried to soothe, but Ariel slammed her fist on the kitchen island.

“Shut it, lover boy! May I remind you that you almost failed one of your missions because of your infatuation with Princess Jasmine? I’m not saying all of them are bad, in fact, I respect Prince Adam and his siblings enough. It’s just that giving into having feelings for the royal family will hurt you! They get whatever they want, and they’ll just use your love to their advantage.” Ariel growled.

“No, they won’t!” Aladdin fumed; his once friendly demeanor had diminished.

“Yes, they will! You should know, considering what you saw that happened to Jack.”

“Ariel!” Rapunzel reprimanded. The redhead only rolled her eyes, grabbing her dish before leaving the kitchen island.

“I’m leaving. We all have a mission to get to in thirty minutes.” With that, the girl placed her dishes in the sink before storming to the hall that was on the opposite side of the room.

“Agh, fine! I’m going to get ready for the mission then.” Aladdin scoffed, standing to place his dishes in the sink before stomping into the hall that was behind the kitchen wall.

Silence permeated the room. Merida amusedly looked between all the faces that were remaining in the room while Flynn, Rapunzel and Jack released a simultaneous sigh.

“I’m sorry you had to stay for that.” Rapunzel was the first to speak, her green eyes sympathetically looking into Elsa’s blue ones. “Ariel has just had a rough story and past, that’s all.”

“But don’t we all, lass?” Merida questioned, turning her gaze to Rapunzel. “That shouldn’t be an excuse for that missy to always be so bitter about that topic.”

Rapunzel released a sigh. “I know.”

Flynn, for once, looked down sadly at his food. “We should get ready for our mission.”

“Aye, let the tension ensue then.” Merida joked, standing up to put her own dishes away before walking down the same hallway that Ariel had entered.

“Maybe we will see you in the mission, maybe not? You’re always welcome to stay here and wait for us.” Rapunzel offered a small smile while Flynn took their dishes the sink. The couple proceeded to walk into the same hallway that Merida and Ariel had gone.

Elsa heard a sigh next to her. The Protector turned to see Jack sitting there, his eyes slightly glossed while he stared down at his hands.

Elsa sat there stiff, unsure of what to do or say as the man silently sat in his seat. So, Elsa just allowed the room to be engulfed in a comforting silence.

Although, it seemed like Jack knew where his priorities laid. Snapping out of his trance, he looked at the Protector. “We have a group mission that we all must head off to. I know you aren’t fully recovered, but maybe you could join us on our mission? An extra hand wouldn’t hurt, and even if you don’t think you could help, you could see us in action for once in what we do. There’s a Kingdom that also got ransacked of their people and all of their goods. Our mission is to try and meet the villians at their destination before the victims arrive, save the victims and return them and their stolen goods back to where they belong. You could also just wait here; we should be back in a few hours or so.”

Jack proceeded to put away his dishes. Elsa stood up, following him until they both stood near the sink. Jack offered the girl a warm smile. “No pressure, really.”

Elsa sighed and ran a hand through her tresses as she pondered on the idea. _I mean, it wouldn’t hurt to see them in action, after all. Besides, I don’t have to partake in the mission and can just watch. When will I ever have the opportunity to see the entire Sigil Squad in action?_

_Am I considering joining them? No… no, that’s ridiculous. I need to get back to Anna. It’s just that this would be a good story to tell her; she loves the Wind Sigil story after all._

Elsa’s eyes widened at the thought of the Wind Sigil. Was Jack the Wind Sigil? That could be the only possibility, considering that everyone else in the team is new. _Then why didn’t he ever visit Kallum? If he’s alive and well?_

So many questions went through Elsa’s head at the thought that Jack was the one that had met Kallum eight years ago. _Is that how Jack recognizes me? Because he is the Wind Sigil? Although, why does Jack look familiar to me?_

“As I said, no pressure.”

Elsa, shaken out of her thoughts, looked at Jack to meet his curious, blue eyes. On a whim, Elsa answered. “Sure.”

The leader of the Sigils blinked twice, looking at her curiously. “Really?”

Elsa shrugged her shoulders. “I think it’ll be a good experience. Besides, what else am I going to do?”

“Oh.” Jack’s shoulders suddenly shot upward with energy, his blue eyes gleaming as he smiled, showcasing his white teeth. “Cool, okay! Yeah, this is going to be great! I don’t have to get ready since I just came from a mission, but we also have a spare black cloak and mask for anyone who comes along that wants to watch. It doesn’t have any designs or any Sigil, so Arendelle won’t be associated with them until you choose to join.”

Jack started to scurry towards the closet in a hastened pace. Elsa stood in her spot near the kitchen sink, looking at the leader of the Sigils with a raised eyebrow. The man swung the door open, showcasing all the cloaks and masks.

Jack pulled out his attire that he just hung, then reached into the closet to pull out a blank cloak and mask that still had the rainbow jewels. Instead of closing the door, he left it open and walked towards the living room area. Jack motioned for Elsa to walk over, to which the Protector complied.

By the time she had arrived, the man already had his cloak and mask on. The only thing that wasn’t currently on was his hood. Jack handed Elsa the extra cloak and mask. “Here, wear these! It’ll help hide your identity, regardless if you choose to join us or not.”

Elsa accepted the items with a gracious smile, placing the cloak around her shoulders and putting the mask on her face.

Aladdin walked through the hallway that was farthest from them, grumbling incoherent words while a small monkey was perched upon his shoulders, patting his head as if it would help soothe the boy. He still wore the same clothes that he was wearing during dinner, but he had an additional black belt around his breeches that held two pouches on each side and a dagger on his left side.

Aladdin grabbed the cloak that was identical to what Jack was currently wearing. He reached over towards the mask to grab a mask that had golden lamps decorated across. The grumbling man tossed the cloak over his shoulders and roughly slapped the mask across his face before turning around to walk towards Jack and Elsa, his brown eyes gazed down at the ground.

“ – she’s different, Abu.” Aladdin sighed, tossing his hands up in the air. The monkey, who had hopped off his shoulder when Aladdin was wearing his cloak, jumped back up and patted the top of his head.

Aladdin still kept his gaze on the ground, a frown perched upon his lips while Elsa turned towards Jack, who only chuckled at the boy’s antics.

“Don’t mind lover boy. He just gets sensitive when it comes to anything regarding Princess Jasmine.”

Aladdin’s eyes shot up to glare daggers at his leader, who continued to laugh at his team member’s attempt to be threatening. Aladdin only sighed in response, turning to face Elsa. His eyes widen at the sight of the Protector.

“Wow wait, you actually look really good! Even without a customized mask and cloak, the outfit suits you.” Aladdin exclaimed, his frown turning upside down to a smile.

“Thanks?” Elsa didn’t know how to exactly reply.

Catching on what he said, Aladdin’s brown eyes immediately widened behind the mask he wore. “Wait, no! Not that you’re not not good looking! I mean, I’m not trying to hit on you or anything… ugh, wait.”

Elsa giggled, her lips curving upward in a smile. “Don’t worry, I understand.”

Aladdin released a relieved breath. “Really? Cool, okay.” He smiled brightly again at Elsa. “Thanks!”

Merida walked in through the hallway closest to them, still wearing the same attire as she did during dinner. The only addition the girl had was the same belt with the same pouch on her right side, but a quiver filled with arrows on her left side. Additionally, Merida had a bow in one hand and another quiver filled with arrows that was strapped around her back. A tiny, black bear trailed closely behind her with the wolf-pup that Elsa had seen earlier.

The girl walked to the closet, picking up the cloak with the three rings overlapping one another and a sword on top of it all, enclosed around a larger circle. Merida reached over to grab the black mask that had the design of a few blue flames dancing across it. The girl placed her mask on her face and took off the quiver around her back, handing it to the black bear who sat down, accepting the quiver while Merida wrapped her cloak around her shoulders. Once her cloak was secure, she took the quiver back from the bear, slung it across her back and turned to walk towards the three of them, the bear and pup following in suit.

“Aye lass, the suit suits ya.” Merida spoke, looking Elsa up and down with a nod of approval.

Elsa only gave Merida a smile. The girl turned around, pointing at the Sigil on the back of her cloak. “This is the symbol of my Kingdom, DunBroch. It’s kind of far off, but it is where I came from after all.”

Elsa nodded her head in understanding. Her blue eyes looked at Merida’s and Aladdin’s attire. “What did you guys have to get ready for if you’re going to wear the same outfit?”

Jack was the one to respond to Elsa’s question. “We usually wear these clothing both during our missions and outside of our missions. Our cloaks usually hide what we wear, and so, when we need to get ready, it’s mostly to grab our belt of necessities and our weapons. Even so, when we aren’t in Sigil mode, we don’t go beyond the Kingdom of Silva.”

“But doesn’t that hide the purpose of your secret identity to the people of Silva?”

Jack nodded his head. “Correct, it does. Typically, our attire under our cloak isn’t unveiled. Furthermore, it’s okay for the people of Silva to know since they are also restricted to the boundaries of the Kingdom. Once the citizens leave the Kingdom, they lose all memory of Silva: they don’t know what the Kingdom looks like, the important people that live there or how to even get to the Kingdom. They forget everything about the history of Silva, but they still keep the memories of their interactions that shape them for who they are. This exception applies to the Royal Family and the Sigils.”

Aladdin pipped in. “But even then, that exception has exceptions!”

Before Elsa could ask further, the pup that had followed her had placed its front paws on her shin. The Protector looked down, seeing the pup look up at her with its hazel eyes, its tail wagging vigorously. Elsa bent down, rubbing the pup’s head as it purred to her touch.

“Wow, I did not know that he warmed up to you that quickly.” Aladdin watched in awe as the pup gave in to Elsa’s touches.

“According to Belle, he stayed with me while I was recovering.”

“Aye, no wonder why that pup was not running around here! Helix was getting lonely without that pup, weren’t ya lad?” Merida looked down at the tiny, black bear, who nodded its head vigorously, its blue eyes looking up at the DunBroch Sigil.

The sounds of more footsteps were heard from the hallway closest to them. Elsa looked up to see Rapunzel and Flynn walk through, the same black belts and pouches on the right side of their belt. Flynn had a swallow on his left side, but a dagger on his right side. Rapunzel, on the other hand, had a… frying pan?

Elsa blinked to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating.

Also, a white horse with a blonde mane followed closely behind Flynn.

Elsa shook her head, blinking again to make sure that she wasn’t hallucinating.

“Yep, Rapunzel has her frying pan and there indeed is a horse following Flynn that came from the hallway.” Aladdin answered Elsa’s thoughts.

Rapunzel reached into the closet, pulling out two, identical black cloaks that had a yellow sun on the back. Rapunzel handed Flynn the larger one before reaching to the mask rack, taking out a mask that was decorated with different colored flowers and another mask that had the floating lanterns of the Kingdom of Corona. Rapunzel placed on the mask decorated with flowers while handing Flynn the mask with the lanterns.

Flynn, already wearing his cloak, wore the mask quickly while Rapunzel wore her cloak. Once the two were equipped, the couple made their way toward the group. While the horse followed behind Flynn, Elsa noted a small, green chameleon perched upon Rapunzel’s shoulder.

“Pascal?” Elsa asked, looking at the chameleon that she has met once. The Chameleon looked down at the guest that had spoken its name. The animal’s eyes widened as it offered Elsa a small wave of its hand.

“Yep! He followed me throughout the entire journey. On the other hand, Maximus here,” Rapunzel reached over to rub the top of the horse’s head. “was always with Flynn.”

Elsa stood from her position on the ground, and Rapunzel’s green eyes widened as she took a look at the Protector. “Oh my, Elsa! The Sigil outfit matches you well.”

_Are they trying to have me join?_

Before Elsa could thank Rapunzel, Ariel entered into the living room from the same hallway as Rapunzel, Flynn and Merida. The redhead had a red crab perched upon her shoulders, casting a look at Ariel’s teammates before looking back at the redhead. Ariel wore the same belt as everyone else, but instead, her pouch was on the left side while a sea-green, small trident was on her right side.

Ariel walked over to the closet, grabbing the remaining cloak, two silver swords crossed, red handles on the swords in a yellow background shield shape, and her black mask that was decorated with tiny, purple seashells. She quickly wore her Sigil attire before making her way to the group.

“Shall we go?” Ariel asked, looking between her teammates and Elsa.

“We shall. Hoods up everyone. Elsa,” Elsa’s blue eyes turned to Jack. “Our mission will require us to travel across the sea in order to get to enemy territory as quickly as possible. You can ride on Maximus with Flynn on the way there while Rapunzel will ride the waves with Ariel, Merida and Aladdin. Maybe Flynn can help answer any questions you may have, plus, it’ll be nice to know how we travel across the ocean.” Jack answered.

“Maximus is a Pegasus. His wings are just hidden right now.” Aladdin whispered to Elsa.

The Protector’s eyes widened while Aladdin nodded his head enthusiastically.

“Alright team, as discussed, we will meet at the west side of the enemy territory where the ocean ends. Wait for everyone to arrive.” Jack explained, placing his hood up and making his way towards the balcony where the large bird stood on the railing. Jack hopped on top of the railing before gingerly positioning himself on top of the bird.

“See you all there.” With that, the bird flapped its wings as it flew into the sky. Everyone else except Elsa also placed their hoods up, walking towards the balcony.

The sound of the ocean was heard, and Elsa’s eyes widened when she saw a large, stationary wave in front of the balcony. On top of the wave was a bright yellow and blue tropical fish, swimming excitedly on the top of the wave. Ariel approached the wave and reached over, petting the fish gingerly on the head before turning towards the rest of the team.

“Don’t stray too far away. We don’t know if there are any ships that we may come across. Follow my lead.” Ariel explained to Rapunzel, Merida and Aladdin, who all only nodded their head in understanding.

With that, Ariel hopped onto the wave before sliding down, having the wave connect to the ocean near the balcony.

Aladdin, Merida and Rapunzel pulled out a watch from their right pouch. The three of them equipped on the watches and tapped it a few times before a translucent bubble had surrounded them.

“See you all later.” Aladdin smiled, waving his hand as Abu followed his actions. Aladdin walked forward, the bubble still encasing himself and Abu. He hopped onto the wave before disappearing completely into the water.

“Enjoy the ride, Elsa.” Merida said next, having Helix perched upon her shoulder as well. The archer walked to the wave and disappeared within the depts of the water.

“Meet you two there!” Rapunzel smiled, following closely behind Merida.

“Oh, right! The watches.” Flynn reached into his own pouch to take out a watch, latching it onto his wrist. “These babies help during our missions with certain features, including communication. We usually always wear them in or out of missions, but recently took them off because Hiccup had to update it.”

Maximus advanced his way towards the balcony, his wings extending off of his body once there was enough room for him to do so. Flynn rolled his eyes at his companion’s cocky movements, walking towards the balcony and mounting Maximus.

Elsa stood there, her body stiff as her eyes drilled down on Flynn.

Flynn turned his head, taking a look at Elsa’s body language before releasing a sigh. “I know that you have heard bad news about me, but please let me explain on the way there. It’s… complicated, but you have to trust me Elsa. I’m a Sigil now, vowing my life to protect all others. Please give me this one chance to clear the air.”

Elsa sighed, running a hand through her hair as she tried to relax her body. Rapunzel’s words echoed through her mind from earlier that night. _I need to trust him. If Rapunzel does, then I should too. If Rapunzel does, then there had to be something wrong in the story._

With a nod of her head, Elsa made her way towards the balcony. Before she can proceed further, she heard tiny scratches against the wooden floor followed by a whimper. Elsa’s blue eyes looked down at the sound to notice the wolf-pup looking up at her with its hazel eyes. The pup, once capturing Elsa’s attention, placed its front paws forward onto Elsa’s shin.

“Huh, it seems like he wants to come along with you. That pup has never wanted to come to our missions, but maybe it would be nice to have him also see what it’s like. Surprisingly, he’s grown a liking to you. When you join the Sigils, you will need a companion after all.”

Elsa bent down and the wolf-pup released a small bark.

“Do you want to come along?”

The pup nodded its head.

Elsa’s lip curved upward as she reached over to pick up the pup, cradling it in her arms. The pup reached its front paws onto Elsa’s right shoulder, trying to hop onto said location. With a giggle, Elsa lifted the pup up so that it can securely perch itself onto her shoulder.

“Let’s get going before we fall behind.” Flynn said from the balcony. Elsa nodded her head, placing her hood onto her head before entering the balcony, hopping onto Maximus and wrapping one arm around Flynn’s waist. Once Elsa and Flynn were securely mounted on the Pegasus, Maximus flapped its wings and made its departure into the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bunch of introductions! The chapter that will be relevant to the summary will start in about 3 chapters from now? The next few chapters will be long in length, just because I want to try and consolidate the information regarding all these new people and this new setting! Thanks for reading :3


	17. Flynn's & Ariel's Story

As they flew in the air, Elsa could barely spot the bubbles that were submerged below in the ocean water. Jack was long gone and out of sight, leaving Elsa and Flynn alone, the sounds of Maximus’s wings flapping in the air.

“Sorry about Ariel.” Flynn was the first to speak. “She’s definitely had a rough past.”

Elsa nodded her head. “You each have your own stories, right?”

Flynn chuckled. “We do indeed.”

“Who is Ariel’s companion?”

“She has two, actually. The crab on her shoulder is Sebastian while the tropical fish that was on the wave is Flounder. Ariel also uses a trident as her weapon, but the trident that she has can be collapsed and extended, for purposes of hiding her weapon easily beneath her cloak and traveling.”

“I see.” Elsa hummed. “If you don’t mind me asking, what are your powers?”

“Well, I would much prefer for you to actually see it in action, but based on what was discussed, you can tell that Aladdin’s power is the ability to control and talk to land and air animals. Ariel’s powers are regarding controlling waves to a limit and talking and controlling sea animals. Rapunzel has magical tears that can instantly heal any wound while mines is agility and stealth. I thought I was just good at stealing and thieving, but in fact, my ability allows me to sense other surrounding beings because they radiate some sort of energy to them. My agility power helps me travel quickly, and I have a slight skill in increased hearing because of my sensing power. A bit complicated to explain, but you’ll understand once you see it in action.”

“What about Jack’s and Merida’s?”

“Merida has something to do with her bow while Jack has something to do with deception.”

“Deception?”

Flynn nodded his head. “You’ll see when we start our mission.”

Elsa sat there in thought. “But your powers aren’t as strong as the Silva bloodline?”

“Nope, they are not. The Silva bloodline can be equivalent to our powers, or even stronger, depending on if they’re trained. For example, Princess Jasmine’s power is foresight. At a young age, she was able to see the future, but not much of it. It was always blurred with only a couple of faces being made out. Overtime, as she continued to use her powers, things started to clear up. Of course, it’s not always set in stone considering that there can be certain factors that change the future she sees.”

“Meanwhile, Prince Adam’s power is the capability to transform into a strong, able beast at will. Although, every full moon, he is forced into the transition, being the setback of his power.”

“I see.” Elsa thought.

“In fact, the link that all of us new Sigils have is because of Jasmine’s foresight.”

Elsa’s eyebrow knitted together in confusion. “What does her foresight have to do with anything?”

Flynn chuckled lowly. “Well, as the saying goes, we all have our own story. It’s not pure luck that all of us have become Sigils and escaped each of our shitty situations. The only person that didn’t have the worst situation was probably Aladdin.”

“So, you’re saying Jasmine’s power plays a part in the entire team coming together?”

Flynn nodded his head. “Yep. I’m only telling you this because I trust you, and if you do choose not to become a Sigil, which I don’t blame you for, then I know that your memory associated with us and Silva will be wiped anyways.”

_Cool, wiped memory. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone has the power to do that._

“You see.” Flynn started. “According to Aladdin, who got his information from Jasmine herself, she had seen each and every one of us in her foresights. She saw each of our destined futures, and the pain and suffering we would have endured. In the end, we did endure them anyways, but we also ended up becoming Sigils, which is better than death or something else might I add.”

“So, what’s your story?”

“Well…” Flynn paused. “You know my story up when you had met Princess Rapunzel and me. I saved Rapunzel from this evil woman called Gothel and brought her back to the Kingdom.”

Flynn released a sigh. “It was hard, being with someone you love but living a life that was the complete opposite of what you use to live. It was hard for me to transition and adapt to the royal life, but I stayed because of Rapunzel, because I love her a lot.” Flynn laughed.

“Which, by the way, is something that Ariel also scowls on. Even though Merida and Rapunzel were once royal Princesses, Ariel is okay with them because they are Sigils. Of course, when she discovered about my past being with a Princess and how I ended up here, she acted with that same, bitter face.”

Elsa started connecting the pieces together. Ariel didn’t necessarily hate royalty, but she hates the fact of people falling in love with other royalty. “Why does Ariel hate people having feelings for Royalty so much?”

“It’s all part of her story.” Flynn answered. “If you stay, you’ll probably hear it from her soon enough. She’s usually cold around other people, but she doesn’t seem as cold to you.”

Elsa raised an eyebrow at that statement. “You mean, the way that she’s treating me right now isn’t considered cold? There’s worse?”

Flynn released a hearty chuckle. “Yep, there is worse. I got the worse end of it when I first joined the Sigils, but she’s grown to like me overtime.”

Elsa hummed in thought. “Could you continue your story, please?”

“Oh, of course! It was hard for me to adapt to the luxurious life, and one day, Rapunzel and I got into an argument when I wasn’t fully delving myself into this event. We argued and I left the castle in the middle of the night to get some fresh air. I was walking through the city when someone had knocked me out and pulled me into an alleyway. The next thing I know, I wake up in a pitch-black room with this little boy. He was a great kid, and we lived in each other’s company for the next week.”

“One day, they finally pull me out of the room. I am told that I had to join this organization or else Rapunzel and her family will be captured and tortured if I refuse. They told me that they would also erase the entire Kingdom’s memory of Rapunzel, including her own parents.”

“I was about to refuse; I was about to tell them that there is no way that they can even threaten the royal family, especially considering that the Kingdom of Corona is one of the few kingdoms with the best guards in the world. Then, they show me this map with blueprints and pictures of the entire layout of the castle. They show me, with powers of their own that they had, of Rapunzel captured in another location, a knife to her throat. They also bring out the boy, using him as some sort of pawn as they wipe his memory of me. They hand him a knife, telling him to use it on me and to torture me, which he did for the next hour might I add.” Flynn laughed dryly.

“So, to protect the girl that I love and her family she only recently got reunited with, I accept. It wasn’t the torture that got to me, but the fact that I wanted Rapunzel to be happy and to be safe.”

“It was all worth it in that moment because I wanted to make sure that Rapunzel was safe, that she didn’t lose her family that she just got back. I didn’t understand why they were pushing me to join, but I knew that I wouldn’t share any piece of knowledge I had about the Kingdom. They released Rapunzel and held me captive in the facility for a week, pushing my body in hopes of my powers coming through, but it never did.”

“We were about to leave and relocate when Jack and Merida had infiltrated into the facility that I was held hostage in. They were all killed or in a daze, and before I can even blink, Jack is standing in front of me. He has this kind smile, and I can clearly see his sympathetic blue eyes under his mask.”

Flynn releases a shaky breath. “He explains to me everything that has happened outside of the facility. Once I accepted, they had wiped and altered the memories of myself from the King and Queen. I, once again, become an outlaw of the Kingdom of Corona. I become blamed for Rapunzel’s kidnapping and the entire Kingdom despises my guts. Jack… he apologizes to me. He apologizes, saying he’s sorry that he couldn’t get to the Kingdom quick enough. His eyes start welling up with tears, and he tells me that he’s sorry because there’s a chance that Rapunzel may not remember me, that she, along with the entire Kingdom, may be out for my head."

“He… he explains that there isn’t a way for him to revert the damage done to the King’s and Queen’s memories, and that the damage that followed closely after is hard to reverse. He says that Rapunzel may or may not be affected by the memories because she was never found; the enemies had lied about her returning to her parents. I had no one from that point.”

“Jack… he gave me a choice. He said that I can join the Sigils and help everyone around the world. He said I can be a contributing factor, and that I can help fight against the organization that threatened me, that ruined my life. He also said that I can just live my life wherever I would want to live my life, and he would try and help me start over. He gave me instructions if I had an answer, telling me to head to this location in the forest and knock on this specific tree. Although, I only had a week to get back to him about it.”

“I didn’t believe him, and you would understand why after all I went through. Instead, I ran. I ran out of the facility and back to the Kingdom of Corona to look for Rapunzel, but the moment that my foot stepped into the Kingdom, all the citizens were out to get me. There were flyers all over the Kingdom of myself, the wanted outlaw. I was able to quickly run and hide because of my powers. I guess being in fight or flight mode had triggered my powers to come to life. I hid in the city for three days before making my move on the fourth day.”

“I used my powers to sneak into the castle, seeking out for Rapunzel. The only thing that I came across was the sorrowful King and Queen, crying over how Princess Rapunzel was still missing. They also mentioned how every bounty hunter was out for my head, but that didn’t faze me, it didn’t scare me at all actually. What scared me was the fact that Rapunzel was still missing.”

“In my thought, I discovered the limit of my powers when one of the guards had spotted me as clear as day. I couldn’t explain myself, and I couldn’t allow myself to be locked up in those castle cells when I could be finding Rapunzel… so I ran. The guards were fast and I thought I was going to get caught when Maximus suddenly hopped out of the stables. He saved my life, taking me as far away from the Kingdom as he can.” Flynn patted the side of Maximus’s head, causing the Pegasus to neigh.

“Then what happened?”

“Well, I knew that the organization that had kidnapped me had something to do with Rapunzel’s disappearance. Maximus and I went back to the facility, only to find it empty and deserted. So, I went to the next best answer.”

“Jack?”

Flynn nodded his head. “I recalled his instructions and went straight to where he said he would be, five days after my encounter with him. He greeted me with his usual smile. Meanwhile, I begged him to help me find Rapunzel, I begged him saying that I would do anything, even join the Sigils, if it meant knowing that Rapunzel was safe and back to her family.”

“All that leader of ours did was shrug his shoulders so nonchalantly. He gave me this goofy smile and said that his other team members were already on the case, and that Rapunzel would be found soon. He told me that he wasn’t going to blackmail me into joining the Sigils, and that the decision I would make would be on my own free will. He welcomes me to stay in their hideout for the remaining two days, allowing me to stay with them while trying to make my decision of needing to help to start over or joining the Sigils.”

“Two days have passed, and there’s still nothing new about Rapunzel. I can’t really live life in the Kingdom anymore because everyone hates me, and even if there’s a chance that Rapunzel has her memory of me and I try to go back, it doesn’t stop the fact that she’s still missing; the people that caused all of this are the same people that these Sigils seem to be fighting against. These people ruined my life, stole Rapunzel and can be ruining many other people’s lives. I just… couldn’t stand that.”

“So, I joined. On the last day, I told Jack that I wanted to join. He gives me this odd look and asks if I’m sure, to which I reply that I am more than sure. He affirms with me that once I do go through with it, even if they find Rapunzel, I can’t go back. Once you’re a Sigil, you dedicate your life to it. I could go back, but then I lose all the memory of being a Sigil. Although, I had nothing left for me. Even if Rapunzel were to come back, I wouldn’t make her choose between her family and I… so, I accepted.”

“I follow them and end up in the Kingdom of Silva, where I am trained under Master Aura, Jack and Merida to help with my powers. I’m training for about two weeks before I get assigned to missions, whether if its regarding actual fighting or retrieving intel. It’s mostly the latter considering that I can easily hide myself thanks to my powers.”

“On my third week of becoming a Sigil, I come back from a mission that I had gone on with Jack to find Rapunzel standing in the living room. I was shocked, ecstatic and overwhelmed. I didn’t know why she was there, what she was doing, but she was able to recognize me. It felt good to have her back, to actually hold her again. On that day, I also met Ariel and Aladdin, because they were the ones that had rescued her. Of course, we got into a fight about why she was there and how she became a Sigil, but I think you should ask her for her story.” Flynn finishes explaining.

“Wow, uhmm…” Elsa starts, unsure of what to say after digesting all of the information given to her.

Flynn shrugs his shoulders. “Can’t really pull that story out of my ass either, but that is truly what happened. Ask Jack and Merida if you don’t believe me.”

Elsa quickly shakes her head. “No, no I do believe you. It’s just… unbelievable and insane and –“

“It is.” Flynn laughs. “Even though Jack and Merida had arrived late, it was thanks to Princess Jasmine that they were even able to come. Princess Jasmine’s ability of foresight enables her to see the future. She can’t control what she sees, but for some reason, it always relates to the Sigils. Maybe it was because of her friendship with Aladdin and his infatuations with Sigils at a young age, or maybe it was because of her brother, but regardless, her foresights always relate to the Sigils.”

“At a young age, she was able to make out my future, Merida’s future and Ariel’s future. Due to her foresights, the Kingdom of Silva and the Sigils had an advantage of what was going to happen. Jasmine had seen our futures about ten years ago, when she had a superfluous amount of visions in one day. On that day, she had told the higher ups about us, and so, the royal family of Silva and the Sigils always watched us and kept us at a distance. They saw all of us as potential Sigils, but they didn’t know exactly why. Before Jack became leader, the old leader of the Sigils and the King had people keep tabs on us in order to have a potential Sigil at hand.”

“Are you saying that the Silva bloodline and the Sigils planned on recruiting you all in the future?”

Flynn nodded his head. “I think that they did. They don’t mean harm, but I know they wanted to keep an eye on us just in case they wanted to ask us to become a Sigil.”

Silence temporarily filled the air for a brief moment. Elsa had a question on the tip of her tongue.

“Ask away, Elsa. I will answer what I can.”

“Was I in one of Jasmine’s visions?”

“Not that I know of. Jack seemed surprised when he saw the powers that you had. With the rest of us, Jasmine knew what our powers were because she saw them in action in her visions.”

Elsa nodded her head, releasing a small sigh. When her blue eyes looked ahead, she noticed a large building peeking in the horizon.

“I’m not sure if you’re going to participate or just watch, but I think you will be handed off to Team Inquisitors. They’re more on the defensive side, with the exception of Ariel who just can do both offense and defense, so it’ll be more helpful and safe for you to stay with them if you choose to watch.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Elsa said.

Maximus had flown past the castle and was starting to descend in elevation on a secluded corner of the beach. Elsa took note of how Jack was already waiting, his back leaned against a rock while his companion, the giant bird, perched itself on top of the rock. Rapunzel, Merida, Aladdin and Ariel had just arrived on sand, retracting the bubbles that surrounded them.

Maximus landed elegantly onto the sand to the right of the group. Elsa hopped off of Maximus and Flynn followed in suit. The two walked towards the group, who were staring as the last two members that had arrived.

“Wow, I didn’t think that pup would want to tag along. He never did to begin with.” Aladdin said in awe under his hood. Abu only nodded its head in agreement, the monkey wearing the same mask that Aladdin was wearing.

Now that Elsa took a better look at everyone’s companion, they all were wearing identical masks to their Sigils, even Sebastian and Flounder, who was swimming along the shore of the beach.

Merida’s bear, Helix, gave a friendly growl to the pup, causing the pup on Elsa’s shoulder to release a small bark in return.

“Luckily, I have an extra black mask in my pouch because of Abu here.” Aladdin laughed, reaching into his right pouch to pull out another mask that was identical to his and Abu’s.

“Usually, your companion wears the same mask that you do, but because I only have an extra for Abu, this will just have to do.” Aladdin said, walking over to place the mask onto the pup’s face. The pup growled, baring its teeth and turning its face, making it difficult for Aladdin to proceed.

The Sigil sighed, rolling his brown eyes before handing the mask to Elsa. “Maybe you’ll have better luck with it.” Aladdin turned to walk back to stand next to Jack.

“Alright team, the ship has not arrived onto the docks of this island yet, but I know that there are still abducted imprisoners within the building that stands near the ocean. As a refresher, there will be two squads: Squad Infiltrators and Squad Inquisitors. Squad Infiltrators will be myself, Flynn and Aladdin while Squad Inquisitors will be Ariel, Rapunzel and Merida. Infiltrators will go into the castle to safely and securely try and retrieve the remaining hostages while Inquisitors will keep the enemies, who are coming in with the new victims, distracted and dealt with. Elsa, I recommend that you stay with the Inquisitors due to the open air, enabling you to have the opportunity to safely watch from a distance. Any questions?”

There was only silence as Elsa’s blue eyes skimmed across the faces. The Sigils seemed ready and confident. Jack nodded his head.

“Cool, we will split right now. Keep your hoods up and your face hidden. Ariel should be aware of when the ships are nearing, so for now, Inquisitors stand by until it’s your time to shine.” Jack chuckled.

“Alright, let’s go!” Aladdin excitedly exclaimed, Abu following by screeching with the same amount of energy.

“Be safe, okay?” Rapunzel said, leaning forward to peck Flynn on the cheek. Merida gagged at the sight while Ariel rolled her eyes.

“See you soon.” Flynn replied with a cheeky smile. The man proceeded to turn to his companion. “Maximus, watch the outside and skies.” The horse neighed before taking flight.

The boys departed, leaving the remaining Sigils left on the beach side. Ariel walked over to Flounder, mumbling something to the tropical fish before it nodded its head and dove into the ocean.

“So are ye going to join us or watch us?” Merida asked, bow in hand and eyes staring at the new guest. Of course, Elsa couldn’t see her eyes, but knew that Merida was facing her.

“Even though you have powers, we don’t know the extent of your powers, nor do we know how you control it. I’m sure you don’t even know how it works yourself. So, I recommend that you watch from afar.” Ariel answered for Elsa, approaching the three with Sebastian on her shoulders. The crab clicked its claws together in agreement.

“That’s fair. Where should I watch?” Elsa asked. Rapunzel turned around and pointed towards the building.

“The area where the ships should dock is on the opposite side of this building. Obviously, you can’t get a view from here, but….” Rapunzel’s pointer finger shifted from the building up towards a darker shade in the horizon. “There should be a small mountaintop near the building that will give you a view of the docks and what goes down. Although my powers only pertain to healing, I’ll also be on the battlefield with my trusty frying pan.”

“The girl hurts with that frying pan, don’t doubt her.” Merida mumbled, shivering slightly. Helix also shivered as well at the same thought.

The pup on her shoulder stared at Rapunzel’s frying pan before looking back at Elsa.

Ariel spoke. “Alright, let’s make sure that we’re at the docks and ready to stall time. Merida can escort you to the mountain before she joins us back down at the docks. Make sure that the wolf has its mask on.” Ariel said, walking towards the water.

Elsa nodded her head, turning towards the pup and offering him the mask. The pup leaned its head forward, nuzzling its nose against Elsa’s palm and causing Merida’s jaw to drop.

The pup snuggled its way into the mask, and once properly placed on, it blinked its eyes a couple of times before releasing a small bark.

Rapunzel and Ariel were already in the water, both in their respective bubbles.

“We’ll see you at the docks, Merida.” Rapunzel waved before descending into the ocean.

Once Rapunzel and Ariel were out of sight, the archer turned towards Elsa with a raised eyebrow. “That pup is friendly to all of us, but it definitely has not been that kind to any human, especially not a stranger. What did you do to him, lass?”

Elsa tilted her head to the side in confusion. “Nothing, really. Just stayed unconscious for the past two weeks.”

Merida started walking towards the mountain while Elsa followed closely behind. “Odd then how this fella is very friendly towards you.”

The two continued to journey towards the mountain, taking a different route that wouldn’t require them to be in close proximity to the building. Silence ensued throughout the entire time, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence for either.

When they had reached the forest, Merida was the first to speak. “So, are you excited to see us in action?”

“I mean, it would be interesting I guess.” Elsa replied apathetically.

Merida laughed. “You don’t seem so happy about that, lass.”

“It would be nice to see how your fighting styles vary and the powers that you have.”

“Unless you don’t join us, then you will have your memory wiped of us. Once you leave the Kingdom of Silva, you lose all memory in relation to it. The only people that have this exception are Sigils and the Silva bloodline.”

“Then why didn’t I lose my memory now?”

“You’re a perspective Sigil. There are some exclusions that come to it.”

“How does the memory loss work?”

“Well, when you become a Sigil, you have to go to the Tree where it recognizes you as one. From there, Sigils don’t have a time limit when it comes to losing their memory once they leave the borders. Similar to the Silva bloodline, the same occurs, but for them, they have a time restriction that is reliant on the strength of their power and the purpose for them leaving. As a prospective Sigil, the Tree feels your presence and permits certain memory loss and gain functions.”

_So, everything connects back to a tree? But why does a tree have so much power? Unless the Tree is another code name for something else? Someone else?_

Elsa continued dazing in thought. _The Tree is the Sigil of Silva. Maybe the Tree is the most powerful person? Would that person be the King? An Elder?_

Elsa’s blue eyes shifted towards Merida’s form, the DunBroch sigil gleaming brightly in contrast to her black cloak. _Unless it’s an actual tree… Although, why don’t all the Sigils have the same Silva crest on their back? Especially if they’re working under the Kingdom of Silva._

Before Elsa could ask her next question, the pair had reached a clearing at the cliff. The area showcased the entirety of the building and the docks. In the horizon, a couple of ships were seen approaching the land.

“Well, here it is! I should get going; the ships are nearing in distance. Even though the Infiltrators should be finished first, Rapunzel, Ariel or I will probably fetch ye once we finish.”

Without another word being said, Merida reached into the quiver that was on her back, taking out an arrow and aiming it towards the docks. Once the arrow was released and flew towards the docks, Merida and Helix had disappeared into thin air.

Elsa blinked twice. _How? Where?_

The pup on her shoulder licked her cheek, causing Elsa to snap out of her daze. Her blue eyes shifted towards the pup, who wagged its tail excitedly and released a small bark in reply.

Raising an eyebrow at the pup, Elsa turned her attention back to the pier to see that the two ships had already docked. There were men in tunics and breeches pulling along and shoving their captives that were chained by their wrists and ankles, giving them only enough space to take tiny steps. All the captives were connected together through the chain that locked their wrists and ankles.

Elsa’s stomach turned at the sight of who the captives were. There were men, women, kids, and elderly people. All of them alike had deep cuts, as if they were slashed and whipped across their bodies.

The pup perched on Elsa’s shoulders growled at the sight, watching as the captivators roughly pushed and pulled the victims along the docks.

Elsa clearly saw a girl, no older than the age of eight, starting to cry at the front of the line. The man in the blue tunic had pushed the girl roughly, causing her to fall back onto the dock. He proceeded to take out his whip, ready to lash at the younger girl when another teenage boy had immediately shielded her with his body.

Elsa could distinctly hear the man yell, his face contorting to that of anger as he withdrew his whip and unsheathed the sword on his belt. He pointed it at the boy, his back towards the man and ready to protect the child at all cost.

Before the man could slash his sword at the boy, an arrow had pierced through his chest where his heart was located. In an instant, the man fell with a thud.

The sounds of yells suddenly increased in volume once the man fell. Victims were getting pushed around as the attackers started to scramble on their feet. Another arrow was shot, and another body had fallen.

As the enemies were scrambling about, the captives were getting pushed and shoved around the dock. Elsa’s blue eyes widened when she saw someone slip into the water, causing a domino effect for the rest that were attached to the individual’s chain to fall in as well.

Instead of falling deep into the water, it seemed that the water had risen onto the dock, cushioning their fall and cradling the victims instead of drowning them.

Elsa watched in wonderment as the water started to materialize into a dragon-snake-like beast. The beast opened its mouth, releasing a loud roar before it proceeded to lunge itself forward to the enemies.

The men slashed their swords against the beast, but they caused no damage as their sword only sliced through the water that the beast was composed of. Once their swords came into contact with the beast’s skin, their weapons were immediately pulled out of their grip and contained in the beast, circulating around the innards by the currents of water.

On the corner of her eye, Elsa saw Rapunzel and Ariel quickly make their way towards the captives that rested on the bed of water. Rapunzel was checking up on the victims, her hands glowing a light yellow every time she came across a severely injured individual.

More arrows shot flew across the sky. While Ariel was controlling the water dragon, an enemy had snuck their way behind Rapunzel, who was currently tending to an elderly individual. The man held his sword high, about to slash Rapunzel when the girl turned around and quickly deflected his sword with her frying pan.

The man looked genuinely confused at Rapunzel’s choice of weapon. The Sigil took the opportunity to quickly duck and slam her frying pan against the man’s knees. He released a groan, immediately falling forward. Rapunzel sidestepped him before her frying pan came into contact with his head, knocking the man unconscious.

The elderly man that Rapunzel was tending to be looked at the girl in bewilderment. The Coronian Sigil only giggled before going back to tend to the victim’s wounds. Meanwhile, Ariel had caught a second line of captive with a duplicate bed of water on the opposite side of the dock.

Suddenly, the sound of a loud boom echoed within the silent night. Steam and mist filled the atmosphere and the sounds of metal clattering against wood followed the boom.

Another thunderous boom was heard, a flash of orange appearing within the steam and mist. Soon after, the flash disappeared once the sound of sizzles echoed within the night.

Elsa squinted her eyes into the mist, unable to make out or see what was happening. The entire pier was covered in steam and mist, the only color that lightened the sky was the flashes of orange within the mist.

Finding it pointless to look into the mist, Elsa’s blue eyes quickly shifted around the area, trying to find some sort of opening that wasn’t the mist or steam.

Her eyes landed on one of the ships that weren’t covered in the mist or steam. She spotted another line of victims, being pushed and pulled around by the enemies on the ship. The ship shook each time the sky seemed to flash orange.

_There has to be some correlation between the ship and the flashes._

It seemed that Merida had beat Elsa to her thoughts as the DunBroch Sigil landed onto the ship, quickly firing her arrows, from the quiver on her belt, at the enemies that held the hostages. Helix hopped off of Merida’s shoulders and started to crawl all over the ship, his snout sniffing the floors as if he was a dog.

The archer took an arrow out of the quiver on her back, aiming it into the mist and releasing it into the depths of the steam. As the arrow flew through the air, a gust of wind trailed behind the arrow, clearing the steam wherever the arrow had traveled.

Elsa’s eyes quickly noted how Ariel had encased the victims in two large, shared, oval bubbles, shielding them from any debris that may have fallen from the flashes. Many of the victims were bleeding profusely, the bubble that they were encased in had bled red into the sea. Rapunzel was quick in trying to tend to each individual, her hands glowing an immense gold that surrounded the bubbles and stopped the bleeding from the victims.

The water beast had evaporated, leaving the swords on the dock. The enemies quickly dove for their swords before advancing their way over towards Ariel.

Another flash of orange followed. Ariel quickly reacted, bringing a large mass of water from the sea in reaction to the flash of orange. Following the loud boom, the sky filled with steam and mist once more.

Then, Elsa was the one that had noticed it. She wasn’t sure if she was the only one that noticed it, but it didn’t seem like Merida was reacting to it. The archer reached for another arrow from the quiver on her back, prepared to shoot it into the mist when a flash of red presented itself in the sky.

Elsa didn’t know what she exactly did, but she felt a surge of energy within her. She needed to do something to help, anything to help.

The ship that held Merida and the hostages was instantly covered in a cage of sapphire blue ice. A large blast of red fire in the shape of an arrow had come into contact with the cage of ice.

The ice that caged the ship had slowly consumed the arrow into nothingness. The cage of ice had not melted under the impact of the arrow of fire, but instead, it seemed as if the ice had strengthened when it absorbed the attack.

Elsa’s blue eyes hastily shifted to the other ship. In a brief second, ice had started to slowly creep over the lone ship, the wooden material that the ship was made up of had frosted over with ice.

There was a pause in the air. The constant, orange flashes had stopped as the steam and mist lifted from the docks, unveiling the golden, glowing bubbles. The enemies that had their swords on the docks were locked to the ground by chains of water.

Merida returned the arrow back into the quiver on her back and reached for a different one. She withdrew the arrow, aiming it at the docks and releasing it. The arrow missed every single chained enemy, and instead, the sharp end of the arrow came into contact with the dock.

The entire floorboards of the dock flashed green before the enemies on the dock fell with a thud.

With the pause in orange flashes, Merida was quick to act by escorting all of the hostages off of the ship. Meanwhile, Ariel focused all of her energy to lift up the bubbles that held the captives for a brief moment before submerging them in the water. When the hostages that were on the ship landed their feet on the docks, Rapunzel briskly walked towards them to check on their health.

Once all the hostages were under Rapunzel’s care, Merida proceeded to make her way towards the ship encased in ice. Elsa shifted her eyes to the right, noticing some ominous presence leaving the building that was near the docks.

Surely enough, Ariel snapped out of her focused powers and extracted her trident, the ends of the trident coming into contact with a sword. A man stood there in a red tunic and red breeches, his red sword bearing against Ariel’s sea-green trident. His beady red eyes glared down at the girl, his red hair was disheveled, his hands clenching the hilt of his sword as he applied more downward pressure against Ariel’s trident.

Ariel released one hand from the grip of her trident to aimt towards the ocean. A pillar of water shot from the sea, heading directly towards the man with the red tunic. The man quickly reacted by disappearing in an instant, a pool of blood forming where he stood.

The pool of blood started to slowly move on the dock, advancing towards Ariel. The Sigil reacted by hopping backwards onto the dock, dodging the fallen bodies of the enemies. The pool of blood lifted up, and the man appeared once more. Instead of lunging his sword at Ariel, he purposely dragged his sword on the backs of his fallen allies, having blood pour from their wounds.

Elsa’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion as the man continued to walk towards Ariel, his sword creating lacerations on the backs of each ally that he had passed.

The Southern Isles Sigil held her trident high before stepping forward towards the man. The enemy dropped once more into the form of a pool of blood, making his way towards the Sigil. Ariel raised her hand at the ocean again, conjuring another pillar of water before throwing her hand forward, the pillar of water shooting straight at the pool of blood.

The pool of blood instantly formed the shape of the man again and he moved to dodge the pillar of water. Although the pillar had missed the man, it quickly made a curve and hurled its way back to the foe.

The enemy dropped back into his liquid form while the sea water crashed straight onto the pool of blood. Mixed blood and sea water dripped through the small crevices of the dock and back into the sea. Ariel stood in front of Rapunzel and the hostages, her trident up and held in one hand while her other hand was pointed in front of her.

Slowly but surely, the blood that poured out of the intentionally inflicted wounds of the enemies had lifted into the air. Thousands of tiny blood droplets levitated in the air for a second before suddenly traveling straight towards the Sigils and the hostages.

Ariel waved her hand in a smooth motion, causing a large bubble to form around herself, Rapunzel and the hostages. Rapunzel hastily acted as well, placing her hands against the walls of the bubble, causing it to emit a golden glow to it.

The droplets of blood assaulted the bubble vigorously as if it were thousands of tiny needles trying to penetrate through. The golden glow around the bubble only wavered slightly, but not a single droplet of the red liquid had gone through the golden shield. Instead, the droplets continually bounced off the bubble.

Then, an agonizing scream was heard. All eyes quickly averted to the scream to note one of the male hostages hunching forward, blood from a small cut on his arm started to be extracted at a rapid pace. The Corona Sigil was keen to rush forward, trying to quickly seal the wound with her powers. Although, due to the limitations of her powers, the golden glow started to weaken around the bubble. Furthermore, the blood that was already extracted from the hostage levitated menacingly above all those trapped in the bubble. It separated into a plethora of tiny droplets in midair and abruptlhy launched itself towards those trapped in the bubble.

Before any of the blood could penetrate the Sigils or the hostages, it seemed to have halted in midair. In an instant, each droplet of blood was encased in ice and snow before falling to the ground with a soft thud.

With that gesture, the droplets of blood that were floating outside of the bubble had stopped its assault and dropped down, as if it was raining blood. Red liquid lifelessly dropped onto the top of the bubble and rolled down the sides.

Once all the blood had seeped into the ocean, Ariel stepped out of her own bubble and looked towards Rapunzel. The Southern Isles Sigil nodded her head at the Corona Sigil before waving her hands, having the bubble submerge itself into the ocean.

An arrow shot at the foot of the Southern Isles Sigil, and the DunBroch Sigil immediately appeared in front of Ariel with Helix on her shoulder. The archer leaned forward, whispering something into Ariel’s ear, who nodded her head and pointed towards the ocean.

The DunBroch Sigil proceeded to turn towards the water, a bubble enveloping them before Merida dove into the water.

The Southern Isles Sigil turned around so that she was now facing the mountain. With a brisk hand motion at the ocean, the water from the ocean flowed smoothly under her feet before carrying her upwards towards the cliff that Elsa was currently occupied in.

Once Ariel stood in front of Elsa, with the currents still supporting her to levitate in the air, the Sigil spoke to the Protector. “Let’s go.”

Elsa nodded her head under the hood. The water that was under Ariel’s feet expanded, creating more space for the observer to walk onto. Elsa gingerly placed her feet on the water, unable to feel any vibrations whatsoever. Although the currents were moving in a circular motion to keep its shape, Elsa couldn’t feel the movements under her feet.

The Southern Isles Sigil created a motion with her hand. The wave of water descended down from the mountain until they reached the docks. With another wave of her hand, Elsa and the Sigil were swiftly enveloped in a protective bubble before descending into the ocean.

Elsa’s eyes immediately widened at the sight. In the water were about a hundred of aquatic animals, swimming around as if they were prepared to help in combat if needed. Ariel’s second partner, Flounder, the yellow-blue tropical fish, swam near Ariel’s bubble, its mouth opening as air bubbles protruded out with each glub sound it made.

The fish stopped opening its mouth, patiently waiting for Ariel to reply. The Sigil did not say a single word, but after a few seconds, the fish only nodded its head before swimming off to the rest of the fishes in the sea.

Once Flounder left the scene, the bubbles started moving back in the direction where all the Sigils had originally landed. Traveling through the sea was faster than expected, and in a single minute, Ariel and Elsa had arrived in front of the hostages and the remaining Sigils.

“Where’s the Corona Sigils?” Elsa heard Ariel’s voice within her bubble.

Jack, who was standing in front of the four large bubbles that contained the unchained hostages, replied. “The two headed back to the Kingdom on Maximus.”

“DunBroch and I are going to head back to the Kingdom. We will see you guys tomorrow morning?” Aladdin was the next to speak.

Jack nodded his head. “We’ll escort them back to where they belong. Get some rest.”

With the approval of their leader, Merida and Aladdin traveled through bubble back to where they had originally come from.

Tthe four bubbles that held the hostages, Elsa, Ariel and Jack started to travel in the opposite direction. Ariel was in the front, leading the way, while Jack and Elsa trailed behind the bubbles that held the hostages.

“I just figured that it would be nice for you to see the mission from start to end. Also, don’t worry about anyone listening in on our conversations. The bubbles that Ariel has around us only enables certain bubbles and specific users within the bubble to hear one another.” Jack spoke.

“And I’m assuming the rest are back at the castle?”

“Yes, they should be back there.”

“Where’s your companion?” Elsa recalls Jack flying over to the location by means of a giant bird.

“Oh, that goofball. After he scouted the castle for us, I wanted to make sure he got back to Silva so that he doesn’t get too cranky. Also, while we were traveling, Ariel has told me about the fight that broke out at the dock.”

Elsa stayed silent, allowing the leader of the Sigils to continue. “I’m very impressed with your powers. You subdued two powerful enemies without thought. You were able to detect the man with the flashing lights in the other ship, giving Merida the opportunity to finish him off. Meanwhile, the man with the power of blood, you were able to stop his attacks. He’s alive, but he ran off.”

“Do we know where he is?”

“No, we don’t. He has the power to teleport through exposed blood, and so, he must have disappeared once he knew that he didn’t have a chance. When Ariel struck him with her ocean water, all the blood was diluted and purified through the combination of her attack and the salt in the ocean water.”

“And the hostages?”

“They’re all okay. Rapunzel made sure to heal all of their wounds before she left. The bubbles that hold the hostages are purified through the combination of Ariel’s and Rapunzel’s powers.”

“That’s good to know.”

“Elsa…” Jack started. The party of bubbles started nearing land. “The powers that you did today were extraordinary… and they’re only the beginning. You have so much potential, so much room for growth and improvement. Other people who would want you to join the Sigils will bring this notion up, but…” Jack paused as Ariel started ascending from the ocean with the hostages following in suit. “Just remember that you have something to go back to. You have someone waiting for you, someone waiting for you that loves you; You have love waiting for you.”

With that final statement, Jack and Elsa ascended the ocean. The bubbles carried them onshore. Meanwhile, the bubbles around Ariel and the hostages had vanished in thin air.

They were definitely on some sort of island that was somewhat developed. From the shore, Elsa would spot a couple of tall buildings from afar. The Protector wasn’t exactly sure where they were geographically, but there seemed to have been people waiting for the hostages on shore. Friends and families rejoiced as the hostages came to meet their loved ones in an embrace.

Some of the citizens from afar thanked the Sigils, who only gave a brief nod in acknowledgement. Ariel turned on her heel, walking towards the ocean as a bubble surrounded her once more. “Let’s get going.”

Jack chuckled, a bubble surrounding his body. “Aye aye, captain.”

A bubble formed around Elsa as Ariel reached the water. “Shut it, Jack.”

* * *

The three had eventually reached the territory of Silva, ascended the oceans and were lifted up by Ariel’s waves onto the balcony. Once their feet touched the floors of the common area, Jack, Ariel and Elsa stripped off of their Sigil attire, hanging them back in the closet.

Jack stretched his arms and released a large yawn. “Well, I’m going to head to bed and make sure that bird of mines isn’t restless. Ariel, can you show Elsa the room she will be staying in for tonight?”

“Sure.” Ariel replied.

“Night guys, good job.” Jack yawned again before walking towards the hallway closest to the kitchen.

“Night.” Elsa answered, watching the leader of the Sigils’s retreating form.

Once the sound of the door closing in the hallway echoed within the common area, Elsa turned towards Ariel, waiting for the redhead to lead her to the room she was going to be staying in for the night.

Instead, Ariel gestured towards the couches. “Mind if we talk for a bit?”

Elsa’s blue eyes widened as Ariel walked towards one of the couches. Sebastian had hopped off Ariel’s shoulders and started to crawl its way down the hallway nearest to the couches.

Once the water bender settled herself on the couch, she turned around so that her ocean blue eyes gazed quizzically at the potential Sigil.

With only a nod of her head, Elsa took hesitant and slow steps towards the couches. She took a seat on the couch she had originally sat on, facing away from the kitchen but towards the screen that was hanging on the wall.

Ariel sighed, placing her elbows on her knees before resting her chin on the palm of her hands. Her blue eyes looked into Elsa’s crystal ones. “I’m sorry for my behavior during dinner.”

Elsa’s icy, blue eyes widened. She blinked twice, completely unexpecting the Sigil to apologize. The prospective Sigil was unsure of what to say, and so, Ariel released a long exhale before continuing.

“Look, the things that you did during our mission at the docks… that was insane? Amazing? And even then, when I was in that bubble, I felt like that was nowhere near your actual limit. The powers that you displayed is just the beginning to your growth and potential.”

Elsa froze, her shoulders tensing and her mind wandering back to how Jack had similarly told her the same thing when they were dropping off the hostages. The pup on her shoulders released a small yawn, shaking Elsa out of her stunned thoughts for a moment to pick up the pup and place him gingerly on her lap. The potential Sigil started to stroke the pup’s head while her crystal blue eyes looked back up to meet Ariel’s hesitant ones.

“With enough training from Master Aura and I, you can harvest your powers even more. You can become so powerful, and you can use those powers to help everyone else in the entire world. For the greater good…”

Ariel released another frustrated sigh, her blue eyes shifting down to the ground. “I don’t hate all royalty, if you’re wondering that. I know my behavior during dinner seemed to display that, but I truly don’t. I think Princess Jasmine is a wonderful person, and Rapunzel and Merida, who were both Princesses, are teammates that I would never trade for anyone else. It’s just…”

Elsa’s eyebrows knitted in confusion as Ariel kept her ocean blue eyes onto the ground, as if she was afraid to look back up at the Protector. Ariel released another shaky breath.

“We each have our own stories, Elsa. Not all of our stories are good, but it’s what brought us here to become Sigils. The symbols on our backs aren’t all Silva crests because they represent what Kingdom we each came from. Even though we may not have received the best experience from the kingdoms that we hailed from, it has still shaped us for who we are; something which we are all thankful for and something that the Sigils value.”

“I…” Ariel took a pause, releasing another shaky breath as her elbows trembled against her knees. “I came from the Southern Isles. It was a difficult experience to live and grow up there. You hear a lot of mixed things about the Southern Isles, and they’re all true.”

Ariel continued to keep her gaze on the ground. “I lost my parents when I was only five years old. From there, I was too much of a troublemaker to live in an orphanage, and so, I was kicked out. I lived near the ocean, somehow sustaining life and feeling some sort of affinity with the ocean and the sea animals there. When I was only eight years old, I felt as if I can talk and understand what some of the sea creatures were saying. I wasn’t able to delve further because I was noticed by one of the Princes…”

“He was a middle child… like the exact middle. The seventh Prince of the Southern Isles, James Westergaard. Initially, he visited me every day at the beach to just talk and become friends. He was really nice compared to all the other kids.”

“Then one day, he spotted a few kids bullying me and came in for the rescue. During the time, I was only eight while he was ten. Even though the kids were a few years senior to him, he was able to scare and threaten them off. He took me into the castle without anyone knowing, and at first, I thought that he was only a worker at the castle. He never disclosed to me that he was a Prince.”

“I was in a guest bedroom next to his. He helped to take care of me, assisting the maids with whatever they needed to help me get back into top shape. Once I was recovered, I was planning to leave, but he didn’t want me to. He told me to stay, he _wanted_ me to stay. At the time, I didn’t really have anyone else to go to, so I did stay.”

“I found myself attending lessons with Prince James. We would learn together about academics and other items that Royalty should learn about. Although, we still had fun and did things together, from going to the farmers market and cooking our own meals each Sunday to playing at the beach.”

Ariel’s melancholy, blue eyes looked up from the ground and to Elsa’s blue ones. She gave a small, sad smile. “We became best friends… and after five years of knowing each other, eventually, lovers. We were each other’s first loves.”

Elsa held her breath, finding her fingers that were once stroking the top of the pup’s head to be clenching onto the seat cushion.

“Of course, I was only seen as an orphan and scum to the rest of his older brothers. Although, even then, James always stood up for me. I thought that if he was willing to fight for me and love me, even against his own family’s wishes, then we were truly in love. I let my guard down and I was genuinely smitten for him. Unfortunately, it was when I was sixteen that things took a sour turn.”

Tears welled up in Ariel’s eyes, and Elsa wasn’t exactly sure what to do. _Should I stand up and try to comfort her? Should I just leave her be? Should I ask her if she’s okay?_

Before Elsa could react, Ariel continued with her voice trembling at the start. “I… I was confronted by a few of his brothers. They scowled at me and said that James would never love me, that I would only be used for his pleasures and for someone he can turn to for attention. Then, they hit me. It was the second time they did that… the first time, well, it was five years before the second time ,and even then, James had dealt with it.”

“I was able to run away from his brothers. The only person I felt safe with was with James, and so, as if it was instinctual, I ran to his room. I arrived only to find him in bed with another visiting Princess.”

“It hurt a lot because throughout my entire stay at the castle, I was always told that I would never be loved by him, that the only reason why I was there was because I was the one that gave him attention. I didn’t believe any of them since James was able to assuage my concerns. But in that moment, when I saw him entangled with another, I couldn’t help but think back to all those years of torment and pain and discouragement. Then, when his green eyes lifted up to meet mines, I saw no regret and no remorse… and I just ran. I was heartbroken, and I didn’t want to deal with it right at that moment. Knowing someone, being best friends with someone for eight years and being in love with them for three years, it takes a toll on you when they break your heart and hurt you.”

“The sad part was that he never chased after me as I hoped he would. I ran to the beach, finding comfort in it. I never swam in my life, but it was as if my legs were able to take me off the land and into the ocean.”

“I felt used to say the least. I gave him everything that I could. We were each other’s first for everything, and for him to be able to just easily throw it away…” Ariel sighed again, her eyes casting down to the ground.

“He never took the effort to find me after that. There was one occurrence when we had encountered each other again on the streets… and let’s just say, it wasn’t a pleasant one.”

“The second time, I ran again. This time, I kept going into the ocean until I found myself in the middle of nowhere. Then, I saw a floating piece of wood with someone barely breathing. That person was Jack. And well, the rest is history.”

Elsa’s grip on the cushions loosened while Ariel wiped her eyes. “That’s just the general overview of the story, I guess you could say. This is a general reason why I don’t really like the idea of people, who aren’t royalty, falling in love with one. Your walls crumble and you become weak, vulnerable and exposed to someone who has so much power in a Kingdom, who can get anything they could possibly want. Your mind becomes hazed because of this strong feeling, and sometimes, you don’t make the best decisions. What I’m saying is that although you may have love to go to, who’s to say that it will last forever, Elsa? Furthermore, think of all the people in the world that you can help protect. Instead of protecting the life of one for the rest of your life, you’ll have the power and potential to protect hundreds, even thousands, if you become a Sigil.”

Elsa only sat in her seat, frozen and still. Ariel, on the other hand, nonchalantly stood from her seat and walked towards the hallway that was closest to the kitchen. “Come on, I’ll show you to your room.”

Snapping out of her trance, Elsa quickly scrambled to her feet, vigilantly picking up the pup from her lap into her arms before following Ariel down the hall. Ariel made a left turn at the end of the hall, and Elsa continued to follow the girl. They arrived a single door that was only a couple of steps away from the turn.

Ariel opened the door and flicked the lights on, stepping inside as Elsa followed in suit. Looking around the room, Elsa’s jaw dropped at the pure magnitude of it. There was a balcony straight ahead, still providing a partial view of the ocean, but was not on the same side of the building’s structure as the balcony in the common area. There were two doors on the right side of the room. The door that was closest to the balcony seemed to most likely lead to a walk-in closet. The door that that was closest to the wall, basically a foot away from where the two were standing, led to a large, connected bathroom.

Even though the room was fairly empty, a large bed was on the left side of the room. The walls and doors were pure white in color, the only color, that being black, were the frames of the balcony door.

“Make yourself at home. We’re a tight-knit group as anyone you have talked to could have mentioned. Someone will most likely be up in the morning, making pancakes or some sort of breakfast. We usually eat our meals together, sometimes train together and hang out in the common area. Let me or anyone else know if you have any questions.”

Elsa took a quick peek in the bathroom, noting a separate bathtub, shower and quartz counter sinks. The color scheme of the bathroom similarly matched to that of the kitchen, with the only exception that instead of the light greyish-brown wooden flooring that expanded from the common areas into the rooms, the flooring on the bathroom was a quartz-tile.

Ariel rolled her eyes at Elsa. “Jack should be down the hall and Aladdin is in the room with the door that we just passed. If you need something urgent, they’ll be the closest to you.” With that, Ariel closed the bedroom door behind her.

Snapping out of her trance, Elsa’s blue eyes traveled towards the bed. With the pup in her arms, she strode her way towards the bed, placing the pup on the opposite side of the bed and watching as it continued to sleep soundlessly.

Elsa proceeded to prepare a shower for herself. When she opened the walk-in closet, she noted that there weren’t any clothes in it except for an off-white nightgown and a white bathrobe. Elsa sighed, figuring that the night gown would have to do until she could get her clothes cleaned.

The Protector proceeded towards the bathroom, taking time to figure out the fancy, new mechanics and addition knobs that the bathroom had. _The Kingdom of Silva is definitely much more developed than any other Kingdom._

Once the Protector had finished her shower, she strode her way towards the bed and dove under the covers, making sure to not create as much movement to disrupt the pup. Elsa felt the softness of everything that encompassed her body when she submerged herself into the luxuries of the bed. Before she knew it, her eyes fluttered shut as she drifted off into dreamland.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Work is getting a lot, but still very determined to send updates! I really really REALLY appreciate your comments and your interest in the story!!! Been really bad at replying and interacting, but please know that I am very grateful :3  
> Thanks for reading!


	18. Princess Elianna

_It felt like Elsa was awake, her eyes open as she took in her surroundings._

_She was in the town square of Arendelle on a late afternoon day. Children were running around while citizens were talking with one another, enjoying the nice, warm sun that complimented the cool, brisk wind._

_People sat and stood around the fountain in the middle where Elsa was currently sitting. Typically, it would be the teenagers or young adults that seemed to have food in hand at this time of hour, eating a late lunch or merely just snacking on the street vendors that occupied space in the town square of Arendelle._

_Elsa’s blue eyes shifted along the perimeter of the town square, noting people of all ages sitting along the benches, conversing with one another casually and happily._

_Then, her blue eyes landed on two figures sitting on a bench, causing her heart to stop beating for just a mere second._

_Two young girls were following their parents as they walked away from the two figures._

_It was herself and Anna, sitting on the bench, people watching and admiring the commotion that came about at the town square. Anna placed her head against Elsa’s shoulders, looking into the town square._

_As if Elsa, the Elsa that was observing everything, was in front of them, she heard the Princess sigh dreamily. “I really love the people of Arendelle.”_

_The Elsa that was in the dream, the one that wasn’t watching everything, leaned her head against the Princess’s. Both of their eyes swept through the town square, even looking at the observer Elsa, but they paid no heed or attention to her._

_“That will make you a great Queen.” The Elsa in the dream noted._

_The observer Elsa watched as Anna’s face contorted in hesitation and fear. “Will it? I feel like as a sovereign, loving your people and protecting them should be second nature.”_

_This seemed all too familiar to observer Elsa. It seemed like a dream, like it wasn’t real and happening in reality. Although, the moment she was observing at the moment seemed as if it was déjà vu._

_“Not all kingdoms are like that. Some sovereigns treat their people harshly while others think of them as mere gears without feelings. I’ve heard about how some kingdoms perspire greed to the point where they would go to any lengths for their own personal benefit, including physically hurting strangers and their people.” The dream Elsa replied._

_As the observer Elsa eavesdropped on their conversation, she wondered why this dream seemed so familiar, as if she lived in this moment before. When dream Elsa had confessed those words, a part of her also lingered back to the Sigils and how they were fighting for good – how almost all of them came from a backstory that regarded evil, regarded people hurting other people._

_“I’ve read about that in some of my studies.” Anna’s body visually shivered. “I can never condone to that. Elsa, even if you’re my Protector, will you promise me to also protect the people when you are given the opportunity to?”_

_Observer Elsa’s blue eyes widened when it finally clicked, when everything finally fell into place, when her mind had fit the exact puzzle piece to complete the entire puzzle._

_This wasn’t just a dream. It was a memory. Her own memory._

_“Of course, Anna. I promise I will always protect and help the innocent, just like the people in our book.”_

_Shit, Elsa really did make her that promise._

_Anna raised her pinky in the air and dream Elsa followed by wrapping her own pinky around the Princess’s, sealing the promise._

_“If you had to pick between saving me and others, if I tell you to save them, then please do.”_

_The dream Elsa lifted her head off of the Princess’s head, turning to face the girl with widened, blue eyes._

_“Anna… I can’t promise you that I will choose anyone else over you.”_

Elsa shot up in her bed in a cold sweat, her eyes wide open and her chest having as she was trying to catch her breath. Sunlight had infiltrated the room through the balcony door, signaling the start of the morning. The pup that was sleeping soundlessly next to her mere hours ago had vanished.

_No, no, no._

Elsa sat upright in her bed, the recollection of her dream and memory coming into full blast.

_I made a promise to her to always protect the innocent._

She felt her head spin as she her mind went into information overload.

_I can be a Sigil, and I can uphold that promise I made to her to always protect the innocent… but if I do that, then wouldn’t that mean that I would break my promise to her of always being there for her? Wouldn’t I be breaking more promises if I don’t come back?_

_But… if I do come back and pass up the offer of being a Sigil, I would be breaking the promise of always protecting innocent people. Being a Sigil will give me an opportunity to literally always protect the innocent. Heck, I’ll protect more innocent people as a Sigil then I would as a Protector. Even she was about to make me choose the people over her…_

Elsa released a groan, running a hand across her long, flowing platinum-blonde locks. _How can one promise contradict another? Agh, I made too many promises without realizing the possibility of how one can conflict another…_

The smell of breakfast foods wafted into the room, causing Elsa’s stomach to rumble in response.At the moment, the Protector didn’t have the brain capacity to think this through and process it. Instead, Elsa swung her legs over the bed and stood up.

She proceeded to make her way towards the bedroom door, opening it slowly before stepping into the hallway and closing it behind her. Once she stepped into the hall, the smell of breakfast foods had magnified by ten-fold, and she heard sounds of giggles and chatter in the common area. Elsa proceeded to walk out of the hallway, looking ahead to note one side of the kitchen island being seated by Merida, Flynn and Ariel. Merida wore a dark teal tank-top and light grey sweats while Ariel wore a light purple nightgown. Flynn was currently wearing a white undershirt and space grey sweats.

When Elsa stepped further into the common area, she saw Aladdin seated on the opposite side of the kitchen island while Rapunzel seemed to have been finishing up cooking a storm. Aladdin was currently wearing a royal purple undershirt and white sweats. Rapunzel wore a light-yellow night gown. Elsa assumed that these were the attires of the Sigils at night. Simultaneously, all of the companions of the Sigils seemed to be playing, talking and eating in between the two couches, even Jack’s large bird. The young Silva Sigil spotted the newcomer and waved his hand.

Because the hallway that Elsa’s room was occupied in was right behind the kitchen, it only took a few more steps for her to actually be in the kitchen. Having a closer look, Elsa noted how there were pancakes, fruits, meats, oatmeal and pitchers of juices on the table.

“Morning Elsa.” Aladdin greeted. Elsa made her way to a vacant seat in the corner to the left of Aladdin and in front of Ariel.

“Good morning.” The Protector greeted. Elsa sat on the kitchen island chair as everyone else greeted her as well.

Once Rapunzel had settled the last dish and placed the pan in the sink, she sat next to Aladdin and smiled at her teammates. “Alright guys, dig in!”

Merida did not even hesitate for a second, instantly reaching forward to pile her plate high with meat. Ariel rolled her eyes, reaching to grab some pancakes and fruit while Flynn reacted to grab some pancakes and meat.

Elsa observed the room again and realized that Jack wasn’t currently present. Rapunzel, who was also looking amongst her comrades, noticed Elsa’s confused face. “Jack sometimes has spontaneous, random days where he doesn’t feel well. Overtime, we’ve learned that those days can’t be helped and it’s out of our control. He has even requested that we don’t approach him after one of us tried to.” Rapunzel said, shooting a look at Aladdin as he sheepishly shrugged his shoulders.

“I was just concerned and unaware during the time. I just caught on later that he had been missing on random days, but hey, at least we know that he’s cooped up in his room. The experience when I encountered him wasn’t the best to say the least. His powers come out very potent during his off days.” Aladdin shivered, recalling the memory.

Elsa’s eyes casted over the Sigils, all of them seemed so nonchalant about it, as if Jack’s random disappearances was a common occurrence.

“Come on lass, dig in.” Merida said, snapping Elsa out of her trance once again. The Protector nodded her head, scooping herself some oatmeal and grabbing some fruits for her breakfast.

“Anyone got any missions today?” Flynn asked, taking a pause from his breakfast.

Ariel shook her head, taking a moment to reply as she chewed her food thoroughly before swallowing. “No missions for the rest of the week. How about today, we just stay in and relax? Besides our individual trainings with Master Aura, I’m sure that we can all just relax, maybe have a movie night and a cooking competition?”

“I mean, now that Jack is out for the day, at least our teams will be split evenly. Although, who is going to judge our food?” Rapunzel pouted.

“We can always ask Belle. Lass doesn’t mind hanging out with us…. I think?” Merida answered with a mouth full of protein.

“Oh! We can all finally head into town and look around at the new stands.” Flynn answered.

"Ah, it's been a while since we've all gone into town together." Ariel smiled in encouragement.

As the conversation between the Sigils ensued, Elsa felt a small tap on her thigh. Looking to her left, she saw Aladdin give her a small smile before offering her a piece of paper under the table. Elsa’s blue eyes looked from his brown ones to the paper and back up.

Aladdin pushed it forward, hoping that Elsa would get the message to accept it. When the young Protector did, Aladdin spoke up to the group.

“Great, I need to go to the marketplace to grab more bread.”

As the conversation continued, Elsa looked down at the piece of paper that was handed to her by Aladdin.

“Maybe you can see what the Kingdom of Silva is like, Elsa! It would be nice to be a tour guide for the day.” Rapunzel’s voice entered through her mind. Elsa looked up and had all eyes on her. Acting quickly, the Protector only offered a small smile to the group.

“That would be cool.”

Elsa felt a small tap against her thigh, noting that it was Aladdin who was making the gesture. The boy then continued to say aloud to the group. “Of course Elsa, don’t feel obligated to go to the market with us. If anything, you can always stay in or possibly explore around the castle. There’ll always be another day where you can go down into town since oing in the first day may be a bit overwhelming.” Aladdin’s brown eyes turned to Elsa, as if he was trying to convey some sort of message.

The blonde picked up on his tiny gesture. “I’ll think about it and let you guys know?” she offered to the group.

“Sounds good to me.” Flynn said, taking another bite of his pancakes.

The conversation drifted to Merida sharing one of her infamous hunting stories during her missions and her love for meat. When all eyes were on the archer, Elsa’s blue ones looked down to the piece of paper that Aladdin had given her.

With gentle, nimble fingers, Elsa unfolded the paper to note the messy handwriting. Her eyes quickly scanned the piece of paper.

_I “talked” to Jack earlier this morning. He requests to see you as soon as possible after breakfast. He’s in one of his off days. Hee usually doesn’t like to see anyone, but I’m assuming that he needs to talk to you about something important._

“Elsa!” She heard Ariel’s voice break through. Immediately crushing the paper in her hands, the Arendellian looked up to see the water user look at her curiously with her ocean-blue eyes.

“Hmm?” Elsa hummed.

“We’re all going to get ready for the market. Would you like to join us?” Ariel asked again, slight irritation in her voice. Elsa’s blue eyes looked across the kitchen island to see that two people, Merida and Flynn, had left. Rapunzel, who was getting up from her seat, was in the process of putting her dishes away.

“You guys go ahead without me. I think I’m going to continue to rest; I just woke up yesterday after all.”

Ariel nodded her head, standing up from her seat. “Cool, we’ll catch you later then.”

“Yeah, we’ll be back in the afternoon, and we can bring back some of Silva’s street food for you too!” Rapunzel exclaimed, standing on the side as she waited for Ariel.

The two proceeded down the hall that led to their rooms, leaving Elsa alone with Aladdin. The Silva Sigil moved to grab both his and Elsa’s plate, cleaning it and storing it away before offering Elsa a small smile. “I’ll walk with you there?”

Elsa nodded her head, getting off of the highchair before following Aladdin’s lead into the hallway that occupied both of their rooms. Once Aladdin stood in front of his door, he pointed at a specific door down the hall. “He’ll be in that room. You don’t have to knock; you can just open it. Just… don’t be afraid of his powers, okay? They won’t hurt you.”

Aladdin turned his doorknob, opening his room door and offering Elsa a toothy smile. “I’m sure that whatever he needs to talk to you about is urgent. He never is the type to want to see people on his off-days.” With that, the Silva Sigil entered into his room.

Elsa sighed, looking at the daunting door down the hall before allowing her feet to carry her forward. _Why does he want to see me? What does he need to talk to me about?_

_What are these off-days that he has? Jack seems to be the friendliest person, and throughout breakfast today, it seemed that Ariel unexpectedly took on that role when he was gone… and everyone acted as if the shift of leadership and behavior to Ariel was normal…_

When Elsa arrived in front of the door, she hesitantly placed her cool, pale hand on the doorknob. _Is he alright? Don’t be afraid of his powers? Agh what were his powers again? Wind? Maybe I can get more answers from him through this talk without any distractions._

_I need to know more._

With the desire of more information, Elsa turned the doorknob and entered into the leader of the Sigil’s room.

* * *

 _When Elsa entered the room, she noticed that she was in some sort of toy room. Her eyes scanned the room, curious as to where she exactly was. Something didn’t feel right… the atmosphere that surrounded her felt surreal, as if she was in some sort of dream._

_Looking ahead, she saw a young child with beautiful, long flowing brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a light orange dress. The girl was playing with a few blocks, trying to strategically build something. There were some random toys, varying from different puzzles and balls, that were scattered across the wooden-tiled room. A table was on the right side of the room with many chests surrounding the perimeter of the toy room._

_The girl was minding her own business, connecting blocks together and pulling away each time to look at the bigger picture before resuming her focus once more. The sound of a door opening was heard, and Elsa turned around to see a young boy there, looking at the girl with adoration and awe. His striking, cobalt blue eyes looked familiar to Elsa, as if she’s seen this shade of blue before. He had short, white hair, but it made the young child look dashing and sophisticated. With his tiny, cobalt blue hoodie and brown pants, the boy padded his way over towards the younger girl. Elsa was about to move out of the way as the boy was walking right towards her until the young boy simply walked through her._

_Her eyes widened. She turned around, seeing the boy sit next to the girl with a small smile on his face._

_“Good morning Princess Elianna.” The boy greeted with a sheepish smile._

_The girl looked up, her brown eyes twinkling at the sight of the boy. She threw her tiny arms around his neck, pulling him close in a hug. “Hi Jack!”_

_“How are you doing today?” the boy, Jack, asked politely._

_The girl pulled away from him but still kept him close in proximity. She offered him a toothy smile. “Better now that you’re here!” Her comment caused the younger boy to flush. “Would you want to help me with this puzzle?”_

_The boy turned towards the puzzle, looking at it with a raised eyebrow. “I mean sure? I may not be much help though; I’m not as intelligent as you Princess Elianna.”_

_The Princess giggled, shaking her head. “You don’t have to call me Princess Elianna, Jack. Elianna, or Eli, is fine.”_

_Jack only nodded his head, looking at the puzzle that the Princess was working on. “I can help for a bit, but I must go to training in about an hour.”_

_The Princess looked up at the boy. “With my brother?”_

_“Yep! With Prince William.”_

_“Can I watch?”_

_The boy’s soft, blue eyes gazed lovingly at the girl. “Of course, Eli. You’re always welcome to watch.”_

_The Princess squealed. “Okay! And if he hurts you or beats you up, then I will beat him up!”_

_Jack laughed, pulling the girl back into his arms as he joked. “My savior.”_

_The brunette girl rolled your eyes. “If anything, you’re my sole Protector, and my best friend! You’re my savior, silly.”_

_The young boy gave a smitten smile, unseen by the girl. “And I promise I will always protect you.”_

_Elsa noticed that the entire toy room started to blur out, as if she was transitioning settings. Everything around her blurred before rushing completely past her like she was traveling through some sort of vortex._

_She was suddenly brought in front of a courtyard that she didn’t recognize. Was this the Silva courtyard?_

_In front of her was the same boy, Jack, but a few years older. He seemed to look around the age of 8. The boy jumped back when an older man had swung his wooden sword at him. Although, once the boy had jumped in air, a strong gust of wind had pushed him further than he anticipated, causing him to lose his footing and slide across the ground on his back._

_Jack groaned on the ground, trying to stand again. He held his sword up, but his visage clearly showed pain._

_The man that stood in front of the boy had brown hair and brown eyes, similar to that of the girl that Elsa had seen mere seconds ago. The man seemed to be in his teenage years._

_He dropped his sword, shaking his head. With a swift motion of a hand, another gust of wind blew. Jack staggered at the wind, trying his best to withstand it, but failing to due to his wound._

_“Jack, you should know your opponent by now. You know that my power is the power of wind. Anything you do that makes you lose your foundation to the ground will allow me to easily toss you away like a doll.”_

_“I’m sorry, sir.” Jack sighed, looking down at the ground. The man’s face, which was once scowling and serious, softened. He released a sigh, reaching forward to ruffle the younger boy’s white hair._

_“You just discovered your powers, Jack. You shouldn’t be afraid to use them. If you want to become a Sigil and a better Protector, you’ll need to know how to use those powers.”_

_Jack nodded his head. “Yes, Prince William.”_

_The boy chuckled. “No need for the formalities, Jack. Even though I am a Prince, I am still your mentor as you are my mentee.”_

_Suddenly, Princess Elianna, who was now a few years older as well, appeared in thin air and stood next to Jack, quickly wrapping her arms around the tiny boy while glaring at her older brother._

_“Will! You didn’t have to be so rough on him.” Elianna pouted, cradling the stunned boy in her arms._

_The teenage man only laughed again. “Sorry sis, but if he wants to become a Sigil, he should know how to fight a Sigil.”_

_The Princess rolled her eyes at her big brother. “Yeah, but you’re the leader of the Sigils. That’s different.”_

_“I’m okay, Eli, don’t worry.” Jack consoled the girl, giving her a cheeky smile._

_The Princess raised her eyebrow at the boy. She pulled away from him, crossing her arms. “Alright, prove it.”_

_Young Jack nodded his head, standing up and holding his sword high in the air. “See, I’m okay! I’m ready for another fight.”_

_William only laughed. “I like that fighting spirit, kid.”_

_On the other hand, Princess Elianna only glared at her Protector. Instead of speaking any further, the young girl took matters into her own hands. She reached forward towards Jack, and in a blink of an eye, they were out of the courtyard and inside a room with the walls painted a baby pink. The room had a bathroom connected to it and the flooring was a white, marble tile. The bed on the left side of the room was large and held that light pastel pink shade._

_The Princess walked towards her drawers, taking out a first aid kid while Jack stood there, blinking as his eyes accommodated to the change of scenery._

_“Did you just?...” Jack questioned._

_Princess Elianna released an exasperated sigh, turning around with a rag and antiseptic in hand. “Yes, I teleported us out of the courtyard. You would be stupid enough to continue your trainings with my brother, and he would be more than happy to!”_

_Jack only raised an eyebrow at the girl as she approached him with the antiseptic and rag. “What are you doing with that?...”_

_The brunette girl doused the rag in antiseptic. “We’re cleaning your wound, silly. Now lift up your hoodie and turn around.”_

_“But- but- that’s going to hurt!”_

_“I don’t care. Turn around.”_

_Jack sighed in defeat, turning around and lifting his cobalt blue hoodie up to expose his scratched and bleeding back. Princess Elianna gasped at the sight._

_“Come on Eli, hit me with it.”_

_“O-Okay.” The young girl said, reaching forward to dab the rag onto the boy’s back. Instead of the rag coming into contact with wounded skin, her hand completely went through the boy. Elianna’s brown eyes widened as she quickly retracted her hand, and the Jack that had his hoodie lifted up had vanished into thin air._

_A small chuckle was heard, and the Princess turned around to see a smiling Jack looking right at the girl, his body leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom._

_“Jack!” the girl exclaimed._

_“You have to admit, it’s fun to make illusions like that.” The boy chuckled._

_The Princess pouted, crossing her arms and glaring at the boy. “Not funny.”_

_Jack smiled at the girl. “I’m sorry, okay? This time, we will actually disinfect my back.”_

_The brunette girl casted her brown eyes away, a small blush forming on her cheeks. “I don’t like it when you get hurt, Jack.”_

_Jack released a lighthearted chuckle, pushing away from the doorframe and walking over to Princess Elianna. He wrapped his arms around the girl’s waist and pulled her into a hug._

_“Don’t worry about me, okay? I’m still here, I’ll always be here.”_

_The younger girl sighed, wrapping her arms around the boy._

_“Don’t be sad.” Jack chuckled. “How about I tell you a story?”_

_The girl blinked. “With your illusions? Your stories are great when you use your powers.”_

_The boy nodded his head. “Sure, with my illusions. Anything for you.”_

_Elsa felt herself being pushed forward, a gust of wind blowing through her platinum-blonde tresses while her surroundings blurred for a couple of seconds. She was brought to the living room area of the Sigil’s hideout. She was standing in front of the couch that was facing towards the fire._

_Her blue eyes drifted towards the kitchen. Standing near the island were six to seven other people, talking and chatting as if they had known each other their entire lives. Although, none of the faces looked familiar to Elsa._

_When Elsa looked at the area with the matts, she saw a fifteen-year-old Jack on one knee, his head bowed in front of William who was dressed in a Sigil outfit excluding the mask._

_The Prince looked down at the boy while Princess Elianna stood next to her brother, her arms wrapped around her waist, brown eyes watered in fear and anxiousness._

_“Jack, you were promoted to be Princess Elianna’s Protector and a Sigil when you were ten. To my surprise, I find you and my younger sister in a romantic relationship now?”_

_Jack did not move, his blue eyes focused on the ground. “Yes, that is true.”_

_The Prince’s brown eyes hardened at the bowing boy. “You do know that it may be frowned upon by others that you are not only Princess Elianna’s Protector and a Sigil, but also her lover. The King may not be the biggest supporter of this.”_

_Jack stayed in his position. “I understand, Prince William, but I will make sure that my duty to protect Princess Elianna will always come first. I only want what makes the Princess happy.”_

_“But what do you want, Jack? If you had to choose between doing the duty of being a Sigil, of protecting Princess Elianna, of being her lover.”_

_“I would choose all, sir.”_

_“What if you can’t choose all?”_

_A brief silence was amongst the three. The chatter of the others still lingered in the air, but not a word was spoken between the isolated three._

_“I am in love with Princess Elianna. I will always prioritize her safety and protection first, even if it hurts me. I’m telling you now that I will make sure that my love for her doesn’t interfere with anything, but only strengthens my duty, skill and job. Even with all my duties and roles, I want to disclose that it will not stop me from loving the Princess. Even though my duties and roles are my responsibilities, my love for her is limitless.”_

_“And if she demands that you do not have feelings for her?”_

_Jack smiled sadly, his eyes softening as it continued to look down at the ground. “I live to serve, Prince William. Whatever Princess Elianna commands, I will do. I will do whatever it takes to make sure that she is happy, comfortable and safe; even if it means ripping out my own heart in an attempt to destroy my feelings. But until then, I will continue loving her with all my heart. Call it treason, but even under your order or the King’s order, I will not stop loving Princess Elianna until she explicitly tells me to.”_

_“Very well then.” Prince William said, his brown eyes looking down at his younger sister, who stood there, arms wrapped around her waist and trembling. “You have my blessing.”_

_Princess Elianna’s eyes widened at her older brother’s statement. The young girl looked up at her brother, noting how a small smile was now perched upon his face. “R-Really?” She asked meekly._

_Prince William nodded his head. With that, the fifteen-year-old Princess rushed forward towards the kneeling Jack, bringing him into a large hug as she cried in his shoulder._

_Jack, stunned at first, only softly smiled before reciprocating the hug back to the Princess._

_Even though the two were locked in an embrace, oddly enough, Elsa was able to pick up on what the two had whispered into each other’s ears as if they were professing it loudly enough for everyone else in the room to hear._

_“I love you, Jack.”_

_“I love you too, Eli.”_

_Another rush of wind blew past Elsa and her surroundings blurred once again until she appeared in the courtyard once more. This time, Prince William seemed to have been talking to Jack and Princess Elianna, who were holding each other’s hands as the leader of the Sigils spoke to them. Their age was still the same as the last vision that Elsa had seen._

_“Princess Jasmine’s visions have seen five individuals in four different places. I am assigning you to keep watch on these individuals on a certain basis and keep us updated on their status. According to her visions, these people are possible victims that are being hunted or shadowed by the enemy organization. They are also prospective Sigils, as Jasmine has seen them wearing the Sigil outfit. I will give you the details of what they look like and where they are located. Jack, please keep an eye out for them and Eli, you can use your teleportation powers to take you both to where these prospective individuals are.”_

_Jack nodded his head. “Sounds like a plan.”_

_Prince William smiled at his young apprentice. “Great. Remember now, Princess Elianna cannot stay out of Silva for more than 48 hours or else she will start feeling the effects of the memory loss. If need be, Jack can stay for an unlimited amount of time, but Eli, please come back if it takes longer than 48 hours.”_

_The Princess nodded her head. “Got it big bro.”_

_The Prince nodded his head. “I’ll give you the details later.” With that, the older man walked away from the courtyard and towards the castle._

_Once the Sigil was out of earshot, Princess Elianna released an excited squeal. “Did you hear that Jack? Now we can go visit places without sneaking behind my father’s back.”_

_Jack released an earnest chuckle. “It’ll be a nice experience wherever he sends us to. I’m sure we will have time to experience each Kingdom’s city and lifestyle.”_

_Princess Elianna sighed dreamily. “It will be great. I can teleport us to places for us to see!” Suddenly, Elianna’s jubilant visage dropped. “But then I can’t stay for long because of the Tree. And what if we want to explore more of a Kingdom? I don’t want to hold you back because of my limitation.”_

_Noticing his lover’s somber mood, Jack quickly turned towards the girl. Her eyes traveled towards the ground. Jack reached over with one of his hands, lifting Elianna’s chin up so that brown met blue. The boy offered her a small smile. “Then luckily, I have my power of illusions. If anything, if we do miss experiencing a Kingdom and can’t go back, then I can always play it for us through my powers, okay? Besides, I’d rather explore a new place with you than by myself.”_

_Princess Elianna nodded her head, a small frown still perched upon her lips._

_“Come on, turn that frown upside down.” Jack tried to encourage. He tickled the younger girl’s side._

_Princess Elianna released a small laugh, and Jack gave a cheeky smile at her. “That’s the smile that I love to see.”_

_Another gust of wind signaled for another transition in time. Elsa stood there, wondering what she was exactly seeing._

_Is this Jack’s power of illusions? Are these his memories?_

_Elsa slowly transitioned into a cold, brisk winter. The clouds above casted over the sky and she noticed the familiar courtyard that she was currently in. Princess Elianna and Jack stood at the far corner of the courtyard, looking at the young kids running around. The Princess wore a navy-blue trench coat and orange scarf while Jack was still wearing his signature cobalt-blue hoodie and brown breeches._

_Elsa’s blue eyes widened when she was able to identify where she exactly was._

_This is the Arendelle courtyard… and all these kids running are kids of visiting, royal Kingdoms. But they should be older now… so why…_

_Elsa saw it: she saw a small girl, around the age of eight, run over to Princess Elianna and Jack, her strawberry blonde hair in twin braids. The young girl wore a light-green winter coat over a light-green winter dress. She was covering her eyes with her arm, releasing small hiccups as she continued running without watching where she was going._

_The young girl ran into Princess Elianna’s legs. She was about to fall back, but the Princess had caught the child in time._

_“I-I’m sorry.” The girl stuttered, still covering her eyes with the sleeve of her coat. Princess Elianna looked at the girl with concerned, brown eyes._

_“No, no it’s okay. What’s wrong?”_

_“N-Nothing is wrong!” the young girl squeaked._

_Meanwhile, eighteen-year-old Jack and reality Elsa stood, watching the interaction unfold._

_“Something must be wrong if you’re crying.”_

_“I-I’m not crying!” the younger girl still covered her eyes._

_“Come on now, you can trust me. I won’t hurt you or tell on you. What’s the matter?” Elianna asked soothingly. The young girl released another hiccup, shaking her head._

_“N-No, it’s okay. I-It’s stupid anyways.”_

_“It doesn’t seem stupid if it made you cry. It’s okay, you can trust me. I’m going to need you to lower your arm first, okay?”_

_The younger girl hesitantly stood there, her arm still covering her face._

_“I won’t tell anyone, okay? You can trust me.”_

_With that affirmation, the young girl lowered her arm, showing her tear-stricken teal eyes to Princess Elianna._

_“Whoa.” The young girl commented when she saw Elianna’s brown eyes._

_Elianna only smiled at her. “I should be saying whoa to you. You shouldn’t be hiding those beautiful teal eyes.” This earned a small flush from the younger girl. “Now tell me, what’s wrong?”_

_“I… I just miss Elsa.”_

_Princess Elianna looked at the girl with a raised eyebrow. “Who’s Elsa?”_

_The once crying and frowning girl had her lips slightly raised up in a small smile. “She’s my best friend and my Protector and the best person in the entire world.”_

_“Ah, so you must be a Princess?”_

_The girl nodded her head. “My name is Anna.”_

_Elianna smiled at the young girl. “Hi Anna, my name is Eli.”_

_“Hi Eli.” Anna meekly said, her teal eyes looking to the ground and a frown appearing on her face once more._

_“Now, Anna. Tell me what’s wrong? Why were you crying?”_

_Anna sighed, crossing her arms over her chest in a protective manner. “I… I usually talk and hang out with Elsa, and I just miss her because she’s training right now. But… my parents made me play and talk to the other kids from the other Kingdoms while she was at training and I talked to this boy name Hans…”_

_Anna’s teal eyes looked up to see the older girl nodding her head in encouragement. The younger child continued. “Well… Hans was telling me how one day I’m going to have to marry a boy and be with a Prince…” Anna’s face scrunched up in disgust. “… and that Elsa won’t be my friend and has to be my Protector only… and well, I don’t want that. I told him that I want Elsa to be with me for the rest of my life because I love her! And that maybe, I don’t want to marry a stinky Prince or boy. Then he asked me who I would want to marry, and I just said Elsa. Then he teased me saying it won’t happen because she’s my Protector and I just cried and ran away and…” Anna’s teal eyes started watering again with tears._

_“This Elsa girl must be really special to you.” Elianna said. The young girl nodded her head, a small smile forming on her lips while her eyes continued to water._

_“Yeah… Elsa, she’s special to me. And I mean, marrying her would be nice. She treats me so nicely and well, and she’s fun to be around and cares a lot about me.”_

_Elianna nodded her head. “Do you have this funny feeling in your tummy when you’re around her? Do you feel nervous but happy? Does it feel like there are a hundred of butterflies flying in your tummy?”_

_Anna’s eyes widened at the girl’s description. The child nodded her head vigorously. “Yeah! Maybe even a thousand butterflies!”_

_Princess Elianna continued. “And you can’t help but think about her all the time? And want her to be around you all the time? All you can think about is her?”_

_Anna only nodded her head. “And being around her makes my heart beat very quickly, like I just ran a thousand miles! Even though I didn’t run at all!”_

_Elianna smiled at the young girl. “That’s what you call love.”_

_Young Anna’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean? I already love Elsa a lot.”_

_Elianna giggled. “But this is a different kind of love. It’s the kind of love that your mommy and daddy may feel for each other. It’s the kind of love where you would want to marry each other.”_

_Anna’s eyes widened, her tears long gone as she nodded her head energetically up and down. “Yeah, that makes sense!”_

_“The real question is…” Elianna smiled. “Do you feel like you want to always hug her? And kiss her on the lips like how your mommy and daddy do?”_

_Anna’s face immediately flushed a deep red. “Yeah… I mean, I always like hugging her. I like it when we hug.” The child hesitated for a second before continuing. “I told Hans that I wanted to uhm… kiss her, but he only laughed at me.” The frown appeared again on the young child’s countenance._

_Elianna was quick to act, patting the young girl on the head. “That’s okay! I’m sure that if you want to marry Elsa and be with her, then it’s possible. Just as long as you show her.”_

_Anna shook her head in response. “But Hans said that I can’t marry and kiss Elsa because I have to marry and kiss a stinky Prince and Elsa is my Protector and she’s a girl and – “_

_Elianna smiled at the girl, leaning forward to whisper in her ear. “Do you wanna know something?”_

_Anna’s eyebrows furrowed, but the young girl nodded her head in reply. “Well, where I am from, a girl can marry another girl as long as they love each other. I’m sure your parents would be okay with that.”_

_Anna sighed. “I know they will be okay with that! They tell me that it’s okay all the time, but Elsa is my Protector.”_

_“Aha! How about I tell you a secret?” Eli whispered. Anna’s teal eyes looked at the girl quizzically._

_“I am a Princess and I fell in love with my Protector too.”_

_Anna’s jaw dropped. Her teal eyes were now the size of moons and full of hope. “Really?”_

_Elianna giggled, nodding her head and pointing towards Jack, who was only looking at the two with a raised eyebrow. “That one right there is my Protector, but we love each other and are together and do the things mommies and daddies do.”_

_Anna squealed. “Are you guys going to get married?”_

_Jack, picking up on that part of the conversation, choked on his own spit. Elianna rolled her eyes and giggled. “Maybe! We love each other, but we also want to wait and make sure it’s the right time.”_

_“Why wait if you can marry each other now?”_

_“It’s because we’re too young, but don’t worry.” Elianna reached forward to pat Anna on the head. “If you love Elsa forever, then it doesn’t matter when you guys get married. As long as you love each other and you show her that you love her, then that’s all that matters.”_

_Anna quickly nodded her head, her smile widening. “Okay!”_

_Elianna looked up at the sky. “You see, Anna, you don’t have to be like everyone else. Every person is unique in their own way, kind of like a snowflake. A snowflake has a unique pattern, and you may not like all the patterns, but there will be one that has to be your favorite. You don’t have to like a stinky Prince because you are your own snowflake; just like how you like Elsa because she is her own snowflake.”_

_“I… I think I understand.”_

_The sounds of bells echoed throughout the air, signaling the start of a new hour. Child Anna gasped, her teal eyes filling with excitement as she looked towards the entrance of the castle. The doors opened, unveiling a younger Elsa in her black tights and light-blue long sleeve._

_Eight-year-old Anna gasped when her teal eyes landed on her Protector who was looking around the courtyard. Anna felt someone push her slightly forward. The child turned around, meeting those kind, brown eyes._

_“That’s her isn’t it?”_

_Anna nodded her head quickly, her teal eyes drifting back to ten-year-old Elsa. When blue met teal, Anna felt her heartbeat against her chest, the butterflies in her stomach and everything around her seeming to blur except for Elsa._

_“Go on, remember what I told you okay?”_

_With that, Anna quickly ran from one side of the courtyard to the other. The sky was starting to trickle down snow in a light pour, but it didn’t stop the Princess from running towards her Protector._

_When Anna had reached the proximity of her Protector, the redhead quickly lunged herself forward, wrapping her arms around Elsa’s frame. She noticed the slight specks of snow on her Protector’s shoulders before placing a small kiss on Elsa’s cheek and burying her face into the crook of her neck._

_Ten-year-old Elsa immediately wrapped her arms around the young Princess, keeping the girl in her embrace._

_The idea of love fascinated Anna greatly. She wanted to know more, she craved more, but she only craved it from the girl that was holding her in her arms. So, Anna naturally asked Elsa about the possibilities of learning more together._

_While the young girl was rambling on and on about love and having the Protector read novels to her about it, young Elsa’s blue eyes looked up to see who Anna was talking to prior to running towards her. The Protector looked at the teenage girl with brunette hair and brown eyes, and the teenage boy with white hair and blue eyes._

_Ten-year-old Elsa quickly averted her gaze when she felt the Princess pull her into the castle._

_Princess Elianna stood from her squatting position, watching as the two girls retreated back into the warmth of the castle._

_“So, she’s the one with the strong powers that Jasmine couldn’t see. Who would’ve known that she is also a Protector.” Jack chuckled. He opened the palm of his hand, showing a rainbow jewel that was glowing when Elsa was in the courtyard. The glow of the jewel had slowly died down._

_“Jack…” Princess Elianna started, watching the castle doors close. The Sigil hummed, turning towards his lover to see that she was still gazing at the door._

_“Please don’t keep an eye out for this one. Let’s leave them be.”_

_“But why?”_

_Elianna sighed, her gaze still at the door. “Jack… that Princess is so in love with her Protector. We will make sure that the evil organization doesn’t meddle in their relationship, but we will not keep an eye out on Elsa to be a potential Sigil. We’re not going to break pure, authentic and eternal love for our own gain. We will report back to William saying that there is nothing to report about Arendelle regarding a prospective Sigil.”_

_“What makes this love different from the one in the Southern Isles?” Jack asked, confused. Elianna only giggled in response._

_“The love that we saw in the Southern Isles isn’t bound to last forever. The Southern Isles royalty are all questionable. But this one… I can feel it, Jack. Maybe I also see myself reflected in the Princess of Arendelle…How ironic is it that a Princess fell in love with her Protector, and we’re the ones grabbing intel on them.”_

_“Are you sure, Eli?”_

_The Princess nodded her head, her lips curving upward in a small smile. “I’m sure. I know you felt it too, I know you saw it. This love that we just witnessed… it’s eternal, it’s authentic, powerful, even ethereal, and we’re not getting in the way of that. Please Jack, when we report back to Will, please make sure that the prospect of Arendelle is left alone, that what we report is that there was no prospect in Arendelle. Please make it seen through that Elsa will not become a Sigil and that we will not keep any tabs on her. Her place is here, with Princess Anna of Arendelle.”_

_Jack nodded his head. “As you wish, Elianna.”_

_Princess Elianna turned towards the boy, offering him a small smile. “Good. Now come on.” She reached forward to grab Jack’s hand. “Let’s go explore Arendelle while we can. We probably won’t be back here ever again.”_

_Another rush of wind and another transition of the environment. Elsa was in a room that was dark and cold. The sunlight was attempting to fight through the closed curtains, the space-grey bed on the left side of the room was neatly made. There were stand-alone shelves against the walls, framing different awards. One shelf had a single bottle with the rainbow jewel encrusted onto the bottle, but it was located on the right side of the shelf._

_There were doors that connected to the bathroom and closet on the right side. Elsa was barely able to make out the light brown-grey, wooden tile floor by looking at the sunlight that was able to peak through on the ground behind the curtain. Right in the middle of the room was a desk that was against a wall. In front of the desk was a chair that was currently occupied by a twenty-year-old man with white hair, his back turned towards Elsa. The man wore a cobalt-blue hoodie and brown breeches, but he only sat in the chair, unmoving, as if he was frozen in place._

_The sound of a door creaking open was heard from behind Elsa, offering light from the other side that shed onto the man that sat on the chair._

_The Protector turned around, seeing a man that resembled Prince Adam, but a few years younger than when Elsa had first met him._

_“Jack…” Prince Adam started._

_“Please, no.” Jack’s voice trembled._

_“Please, Jack…”_

_“Why?... Why did this…”_

_“Jack, it’s not your fault.”_

_“Don’t say that.”_

_“Jack, it really isn’t – “_

_The sound of a large slam was heard, startling both Elsa and Prince Adam. Jack still sat there, his figure shaking forcefully while his hand was balled into a fist against the table._

_Elsa heard Prince Adam sigh. “You can’t hide out in Will’s room forever. Jack, it isn’t your fault, please. You tried your hardest to protect her, but no one knew what she was planning. Anyone who ingested the potion Belle had given her would have been knocked out for weeks.”_

_Jack sat there, his form continuing to tremble. Prince Adam released another sigh, placing his hand back on the doorknob. “Jack… you’re the only Sigil left. I get it, you lost a lot and other people did too. You lost a lover, mentor and friends just like how I lost my siblings and friends as well, but don’t let their deaths go to vain. Jack, Silva doesn’t have any Sigils left or a Spymaster… we need you.”_

_With that, Prince Adam closed the bedroom door._

_Elsa looked towards the trembling man. Through the darkness of the room, she spotted how he opened a drawer, reaching forward for a piece of paper before placing it on the table._

_Curiosity got the best of Elsa, and so, the Protector walked her way over so that she was hovering above Jack. Her eyes looked down at the paper that was beautifully written and addressed to him._

_Dear Jack,_

_If you’re reading this right now and I’m not with you, and everything in Silva seems as if it is back to normal, then my plan did work. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you, but I knew that you would stop me if you found out. I couldn’t just stand around and allow more lives to be lost, both innocent and wildlife. I need to reduce the casualties as best as I could and save the citizens of Silva. Please understand that this was the only way. The longer that it would be waited out, the worst the situation would have been._

_I’m sorry that I betrayed you. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you. I’m sorry that it has to come to this._

_Jack, I want to thank you for everything you’ve done. I loved having you in my life every single second of the way, from the time we were toddlers and best friends to when we fell in love. I wouldn’t trade my life or my time for anything else. Thank you for being so kind and gentle and loving. Thank you for always having the capability to put a smile on my face in even the most darkest and saddest days. Thank you for just being you and for loving me just the way I am._

_Thank you for all the times you were willing to sneak out with me as we teleported across the world. Thank you for telling me these amazing stories with your imagination. Thank you for allowing me to re-live our travels together through your powers of illusions. Each night, I always looked forward to being able to be in your arms and do everything with you, even if it was through your illusions at times._

_Maybe it was the fact that we lived in the bliss of our good memories and illusions that it was hard when reality hit; when the evil of the world had crept upon us. Even then, I still enjoyed each and every moment that we spent together._

_Please don’t hate me, Jack. And please, knowing you, please don’t blame yourself about this situation. I did this on my own free will, and what I did to you is unforgiveable, but please know that I had to do it. I’m sorry that I broke your trust, but I had to do what’s right. I hope that you will forgive me one day in the future, and I wish that you please not blame yourself. None of this is your fault._

_Jack, I know that it’s selfish of me to ask, but I just have two requests. For one, please find happiness. All I’ve ever wanted you was to be happy. You were always selfless when looking out for my own happiness, but never for yours. Whether if you find happiness through friends or through another lover, please reach for that happiness._

_Secondly, please remember the Arendelle Princess and Protector. Please remember the agreement we made and please see it through. I mentioned it before and I’ll say it again, but their situation reminds me of our own situation, don’t you agree? The least we can do is to give them the happy ever after that they deserve… the happy ever after that we wanted. Their love… even at a young age, was pure and powerful Jack. Please don’t take that away._

_I love you with all my heart and I wish you the best. I’m sorry again._

_Love,_

_Elianna_

Elsa reached forward, her fingertips grazing the paper as if she actually felt it. Another rush of wind blew through her locks and it seemed as if the environment did not transition, but the Protector could feel the paper under her fingertips.

Elsa realized that a twenty-year-old Jack was no longer sitting in the chair. Instead, present Jack was on his bed, his legs crossed against each other while his cobalt-blue eyes stared at Elsa with sympathy. The room was still dark, just like it was in the vision that she was seeing.

Elsa’s blue eyes looked down at the paper, noticing how the writing was different. The words on the paper had changed and the scribbles was a handwriting she knew she has seen before.

“Read it.” Elsa heard Jack’s voice say. The Protector looked to her left, seeing the leader of the Sigils offer her a sad smile.

Elsa’s blue eyes glanced back down at the paper as she started reading it.

_To my dearest friend, the Wind Sigil,_

_Long time no see. This is Spymaster Kallum of Arendelle. I haven’t seen you in the past five years, Wind Sigil._

_I understand if you may be busy with your respective duties, and I am okay with that. You gave me the bottle, saying that if I ever needed anything at all to place my note in the bottle and leave it at sea. You said that this bottle would be given to you immediately and noted as something urgent and of high importance. I wouldn’t be reaching out to you now if I wasn’t desperate, if I didn’t need something. I wouldn’t be using this bottle at all, but something occurred in Arendelle._

_You said that you would owe me any favor that I would want or need after helping you in Arendelle eight years ago. Well, I need your help. There was an invasion that occurred in Arendelle and as a result, I lost my apprentice._

_I know she’s out there somewhere. I don’t believe that she’s dead, and I have set forth in trying to find her until the very end. I beg of you to please return the favor by somehow helping me find her. I’m not going to rest nor return to Arendelle until I know what happened to her; until I find her. She’s the only family I have left. After your disappearance, I thought I would never find comfort and happiness in another individual until she came along. She’s like a little sister to me, and I’m not going to give up on family._

_This is all I request, and this is all I ask in favor of what I did for you eight years ago. Just please, help me find her. Help me find Elsa Winters, Princess Anna of Arendelle’s Protector. Help me bring her back to Arendelle, back to where she belongs._

_Sincerely,_

_Kallum_

Elsa’s eyebrows knitted together in thought, her eyes continuously staring at the letter. _The bottle? The favor?_

Her blue eyes drifted up to the shelves. She released an inaudible gasp when her eyes landed on the shelf with two bottles. _In the flashback, there was only one… but now…_

The bottle that had made its appearance looked exactly as what Elsa had seen in Arendelle. The rainbow jewel with the engraving of “KS” on the ordinary looking bottle.

_The Wind Sigil story… it’s actually real, its…_

Elsa turned towards Jack, noticing his despondent visage. “What you saw was my memories. My power is the power of illusions. I can show people a mirage with my powers, and they can see whatever I want them to be. I wanted to show you my memories, Elsa. Hopefully, through looking at my memories, your question as to where you have seen me before has been answered.”

Elsa asked a question without much thought. “Who is the Wind Sigil?”

“The Wind Sigil is the man named William in my memories. He was my mentor, the ex-Spymaster of Silva and the Prince of Silva. He was my lover’s brother, and when that bottle had come into sea, I guess he was also a friend to Spymaster Kallum.”

“What happened five years ago?” Elsa wasn’t holding back anymore. She needed to know, she craved to know.

Jack chuckled, leaning his head against the wall as he stared off into space. “Ah yes, I was expecting that to be one of your questions. Five years ago is something which a lot of people always refer to. Five years ago, evil people came in to try and fulfill the prophecy of unlimited power…Maybe you should take a seat.” Jack’s cobalt blue eyes snapped out of his daze, focusing on the Protector.

Elsa complied, taking a seat on the chair next to the desk. The leader of the Sigils nodded his head, staring off into space once more. “As you may know, Silva’s Sigil is a tree. I’m sure you’ve heard of the tree reference, but in the Kingdom of Silva, one of the many reasons why we prosper without heavily relying on other Kingdoms is because Silva is rooted by the power of this Elderwood Tree. This Tree is what provides the magical boundaries of Silva, this Tree is what bestows powers to the Royal Bloodline, this Tree is what recognizes the Sigils. The Tree is what provides life to the Kingdom of Silva. Since the beginning of time, the Tree is also why the Royal Silva Bloodline have powers.”

Elsa’s surroundings started to blur until she eventually stood in front of a large tree. The tree had bright,green leaves and its branches spread across the cave that it was held in. The cave itself was large, possibly as large as half a castle, and had light-blue rocks to the interior of it. The tree, with its white wood/trunk, stood at the center of the cave.

“This Tree has been heavily rooted into the Kingdom, providing safety and security to all. This tree has been here for thousands of years, and its magical aura that it radiates has been recognized by all around the world. Of course, with great power also comes those who greed for it.”

The environment transitioned: the interior of the cave, once a bright, soft blue, was morphing into a bright red. The leaves of the tree were falling, exposing its bare branches. The trunk of the tree, once a pure white, had black flames starting to engulf it. The sounds of screams and the clashing of metal was heard. Elsa quickly turned, noting people fighting against each other in the sanctuary: from swordsmen to those wielding magical powers, blood was being shed.

“There’s a ritual that enables anyone to become an omnipotent being. The ritual itself requires a series of steps for an individual to absorb the Tree of Silva. There have been some rumors in regard to what the ritual is, but nothing ever written in stone. People who are aware of the power of the Tree greed for the unlimited power. They come with knowledge of the ritual in hopes of absorbing the Tree’s powers. Although, if the tree dies, then all the natural life around the tree and in the Kingdom of Silva will die as well. More people will get hurt because others greed for their own selfish gain.”

The Tree of Silva continued to be swallowed up by black flames. Instead of charred wood, the white wood turned into a shade of orange.

“The orange shade of the Tree signals its vulnerability. Although, once the tree completely transitions from an orange to a shade of dark grey, that is when the Tree of Silva is considered dead.” The Tree proceeds to transition to a shade of grey from the bottom up.

“But the Tree can be saved, even on its last shade of orange. The thing is, the Tree recognizes the Silva Royal Bloodline, the Protectors of the Tree, and the Sigils, the Protectors of the world. The Sigils can’t stop the tree from dying, but an individual who has Silva blood can.”

A young, faceless man ran past those who were fighting and in combat. The man stood in front of the Tree, huffing out of breath as he bent over, placing his hands on his knees. The man gazed at the Tree and placed a hand on the trunk of the Tree. A light, orange glow emitted from the contact between himself and the Tree.

The orange glow started to creep upon the man’s body until it finally enclosed around him. Once the orange glow had manifested over his entire body, a blinding light had encompassed the entire room.

The light dimmed, and all those in the cave had vanished into thin air. There was no one left in the cave. The interior of the cave transitioned from its bright red back to the cool, light blue. The Tree slowly grew back its leaves, and any spot of orange or grey that was on the trunk of the Tree had vanished, being replaced with the white tone color.

“The life of a Silva bloodline, whether if its willingly like the man, or slain in front of the Tree, is the only way to save the Tree; as long as the blood and life is absorbed by the Tree. With the life of a Silva Royalty being given up, the Tree will gain strength to become invincible from ever entering into that state for a variable amount of time.”

Elsa’s environment started to blur once more.

“You see…” the environment continued to blur. “The Tree is kept hidden, and the only people that truly know where the Tree is are the Silva Royalty and the Sigils. The Tree moves its hidden location each time that it is on the brink of death, disabling those who crave for their power to keep coming back. Even with the migration, the Tree always stays close to the Kingdom of Silva. Furthermore, the movement of the Tree doesn’t stop outsiders from trying to seek its power. With the help of magic, research and knowledge, outsiders have been able to discover the location of the Tree.”

Elsa was able to slowly make out certain parts of the environment as it started to unblur.

“Through these incidents, this is why the Tree uses its power to try and hide itself and the Kingdom of Silva. Of course, the Tree will always protect life first; therefore, using more of its power to hide the Kingdom of Silva than itself. Although, the Tree recognizes those who may leave the Kingdom, which is why they lose their memory once they leave the premises of the Kingdom. This excludes the Sigils and the Silva Royal bloodline, but even the Silva bloodline have their own limitation. The Tree wants to keep those who can save it close, which is why Silva Royalty can’t stay outside of the Kingdom for too long. Sigils, on the other hand, provide safety and security to the entire world, something which the Tree wishes that it can do but can’t because of those who are glutinous.”

The environment focused a bit more, and Elsa recognized herself being in a throne room.

“Even though the Tree stays close to the Kingdom of Silva, it is difficult for those within the Kingdom to get to the tree. As mentioned, the only people that know the location of the Tree are the Sigils and the Silva Royal bloodline.”

_In front of the throne stood an older man with auburn hair and brown eyes. The man wore a royal purple suit from head to toe with a white button up shirt underneath. The man stood in front of another young male who had white hair, blue eyes and pale skin. The youth with the white hair had his hands in the front pocket of his cobalt, blue hoodie. His brown breeches were clean and spotless._

_“Your Majesty, you have asked for my presence?” the younger man asked._

_The King of Silva nodded his head. “Jack, I understand that you may be confused as to why I have withdrawn you from the battlefields.”_

_The Jack in the vision nodded his head._

_“Although another Sigil in the battlefield would be helpful, I need you to do a different task. I need you to keep an eye on Princess Elianna and protect her at all cost – make sure that she stays safe in the castle.”_

_Jack’s blue eyes widened. “Is someone out to get Princess Elianna?”_

_The King laughed at the boy’s sudden reaction. “Not that I am aware of. Although, I need to make sure that you are keeping an eye out for my daughter. We don’t want her to step out of this castle and have the chance of getting hurt.”_

_Jack nodded his head. “I understand, sir.”_

_“Good. Please do your best.”_

_The environment transitioned from the throne room to a bedroom with baby pink walls._

_Elsa saw two figures sitting on the pink bed in the bedroom. One girl was familiar to Elsa, with her long, brown hair and brown eyes. The girl wore a long-sleeve white top with a blue dress on top. A twenty-year-old girl sat on the bed with brown eyes and brunette hair next to the one wearing the blue dress. This girl wore a light-green dress, her brown eyes looking at the ground and a small frown perched upon her face._

_The girl with the green dress spoke up. “Belle, do you have the potion that I have requested?”_

_Belle nodded her head. “Yes, I do!” The potion master pulled out a small vial filled with a dark-blue liquid. “I hope this does help you fall asleep, Princess Elianna. I know that this time must be very rough for you, and it doesn’t help the fact that my usual doses of sleeping potions don’t take much effect on someone with strong powers like you.”_

_The Princess accepted the potion gratefully. Her lips curved slightly upward in a smile. “Thank you, Belle.”_

_Belle nodded her head, standing up from her seat on the bed. “I should get going now. They need more healing potions for the battlefield.”_

_With that, Belle made her way to exit the bedroom._

_Princess Elianna sighed, looking down at the vial in her hand with a solemn smile. The Princess stood up, walking over to her desk where there were two mugs filled with water. One mug was a light pink while another was a light blue. The Princess proceeded to uncap the vial, pouring the contents into the light blue mug._

_A couple of knocks were heard against the bedroom door, causing the Princess to flinch slightly. The young girl quickly stuffed the empty vial into a drawer of her desk._

_Once everything was orderly, the Princess spoke. “Come in.”_

_The door slowly opened, unveiling a man with white hair and cobalt, blue eyes. His eyes held bags under it, but that didn’t stop the goofy smile from reaching his cheeks._

_“Hi Eli.” Jack greeted. The Sigil closed the door behind him before walking over towards the Princess._

_The Princess’s mood suddenly changed to that of joy. The young girl quickly lunged herself to the boy, wrapping her arms around his neck before pulling him into a hug. Jack laughed and wrapped his own arms around the girl._

_“Jack, I’m glad you’re here and safe.”_

_The Sigil laughed, giving the girl a light squeeze. “Your father thought my duty to be next to you would be much more vital to this whole thing than being with the other Sigils.”_

_Elianna rolled her eyes. “That old man is just overprotective of me.”_

_“He loves you, that’s all.” Jack pulled the Princess. “Just as much as I love you. Have you been getting some sleep?”_

_Princess Elianna shook her head against Jack’s shoulder, her grip tightening on the Sigil._

_“No, I haven’t. But maybe I can now that you’re here?” Her voice was hopeful._

_Jack nodded his head, releasing his grip from the girl. The Sigil started to walk towards her bed when the Princess stopped him._

_“Stay hydrated first!” The Princess handed Jack the blue mug. The Sigil smiled at the girl, drinking the contents of the cup. The Princess followed with her pink mug._

_Once the two had drank the contents of their cups, Princess Elianna offered her Protector a smile, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the bed. The two settled themselves under the covers, Jack resting on his back while the Princess stayed close to his side. Her arm was wrapped around his torso while his arm was wrapped around her shoulder._

_“How are you feeling Jack?”_

_“A bit sleepier, but I’m happy now that I’m with you.”_

_The Princess nodded her head against her lover’s shoulder. “I’m happy that I’m with you too.”_

_Jack released a small yawn. “Eli, you should get some sleep. You’ve been stressed this entire time about everything.”_

_Princess Elianna sighed. “Can you blame me for being stressed? Knowing that the Kingdom can fall apart and more people can get hurt?”_

_“I don’t blame you, but your lack of rest isn’t good for your health.”_

_“I know.” Elianna spoke softly. “Don’t worry, I won’t be stressed for long. I’ll try get some sleep, okay? It’ll be a bit easier now that you’re here. Your presence makes me much happier.”_

_“Being around you makes me happy as well, Eli.” Jack stifled another yawn._

_The Princess looked up from her position. Jack looked down, his blue eyes meeting the bright brown that he grew up with._

_Princess Elianna leaned upward, capturing her Protector’s lips in a brief but doting kiss. Jack reciprocated with just as much passion._

_“I love you, Jack.”_

_“I love you too, Eli.”_

_“I’m going to try sleep now, okay? You should get some rest too.”_

_Jack only nodded his head, feeling the weight of his eyelids become heavier than usual. Before Jack lost consciousness, he heard his lover’s voice whisper into the air._

_“Thank you for everything."_

The environment around Elsa slowly transitioned back to present day, to the dim-lit room of the current leader of the Sigils. When Elsa looked towards Jack’s direction, she saw the man’s cobalt blue eyes focus on the ground, his eyes glistening with the first few tears falling seconds later.

“You see… there were evil people that infiltrated into the boundaries of Silva. They did not only find their way to the Tree of Silva, but also infiltrated the Kingdom of Silva. The reason why the King had withdrawn me from fighting along with the Sigils is because he wanted to make sure that Princess Elianna didn’t teleport herself to the Tree and perform the sacrifice herself. Even though the Royal bloodline and the Sigils know where the location of the Tree is, it would take a long and rigorous process and journey to get there; therefore, the easiest and quickest way in saving the Tree would be if Princess Elianna used her powers of teleportation to get there. Of course, the King would never allow his children to sacrifice their lives.”

“The King was planning to travel there as soon as possible; he was planning to sacrifice his own life to save the Kingdom. The only problem was that it would take a long time to travel there, and who knows how many more lives would have been lost and destroyed. If the Tree of Life were to be rejuvenated by the blood of a Silva, then it would even wipe away the enemies that were attacking the Kingdom. I guess Princess Elianna discovered the King’s plans and had to find the right time where no one would keep an eye on her. She spiked my drink with Belle’s sleeping potion, making me fall into a deep slumber for an entire week.” Jack released a bitter chuckle.

“My body tried to wake up, but it woke up too late. According to Belle, the dosage should have knocked me out for two weeks, but being a trained Sigil, your body recognizes when there’s something that has gone awry. I discovered that hours after I had fallen asleep was when Princess Elianna had teleported to the Tree of Life and sacrificed herself, banishing all that infiltrated the boundaries of Silva both within the cave, outside the cave and within the Kingdom.”

“I couldn’t do anything right. I couldn’t be there to fight alongside my teammates, who all passed from trying to escort the King on his journey to the Tree, or who passed protecting the Kingdom, and I couldn’t protect Princess Elianna.”

“Her sacrifice has made the Tree of Life invincible for ten years. I’m not exactly sure how the amount of years was determined, but from you seeing my memories…”

Jack’s teary, blue eyes looked up to meet Elsa’s sympathetic ones. “I don’t want you to join the Sigils, Elsa. Everyone may seem like they’re pressuring you, but if I were to tell you what I would want you to do… well, I would want you to go back to Arendelle.”

Elsa’s eyes widened in shock while Jack looked away, turning his head towards the right to find the wall much more comforting to look at. “You see, you have love to go back to. Maybe I’m only telling you this to fulfill Elianna’s wishes, maybe I’m telling you this because I see my old self reflected in you, or maybe I’m telling you this because I don’t want you to lose out on what you have, but regardless, I don’t want you to join the Sigils. Because if you do join the Sigils, you’ll lose the chance of living out your life with the one you love. You’ll lose out on the chance of living your life with someone who loves you with their entire heart, and I don’t want to take that opportunity away from you. It hurts a lot when you lose someone you love… and I don’t want you nor Anna to experience that. You both deserve the chance to be together, to live together through your lives loving each other.”

Jack released a defeated sigh. “But I have to leave the offer up on the table because it’s the proper thing for me to do as the leader of the Sigils. Although, if I were speaking just as Jack Frost, just as the Protector of Princess Elianna, just as someone who fell in love with their best friend that they spent their entire life with, then I would say that you should refuse this offer. I wouldn’t even give you this offer, but I must also be expected to do my duty. Besides, the rest of the Sigils, Prince Adam and his family already know of your existence. If you weren’t on the verge of death, I wouldn’t have brought you back to the Kingdom of Silva; I wouldn’t have exposed you to the possibility of having you be coerced into becoming a Sigil. The unfortunate timing was that you needed immediate medical attention. Furthermore, because Ariel is a Sigil and understands the whole situation, I knew that I couldn’t get you out of here.”

“I’m sorry, Elsa. I’m sorry for burdening you with my past, I’m sorry for bringing you back to Silva, I’m sorry for putting you in this situation where you have to choose. But know that you still have a choice and that we won’t force you to become a Sigil. No one is going to force you, and if they do, then they’ll have to get through me first.”

Elsa sat in the chair, digesting even more information. _If I thought yesterday was information overload…_

The sounds of a door slamming shut echoed within the hallways and the room, followed by an uproar of chatter. Jack offered the Protector another sympathetic smile. “Those chickens seem to have come back. They’re most likely going to be preparing for the cook off tonight. You should go and have fun with them.”

“Will you be joining us as well?”

Jack shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll think about it. Off you go now.”

Elsa sighed, standing up from the chair and making her way towards the door. The blonde opened the door, pausing for just a moment in the doorframe before turning her head slightly so that her blue eyes met with Jack’s. “Thank you for everything.”

Jack shook his head. “You don’t have to thank me for anything. Now, go on.”

With that, Elsa walked out of the hall and softly closed the door behind her. She carried her feet down the hall until she reached the front of her own bedroom door. Before she could even place her hand on the doorknob, Rapunzel had quickly turned the corner.

“Elsa! Perfect timing, you’re going to participate in the cook-off. You should head to the kitchen first while I check on Jack.”

“No need for that.” The man in question spoke from his room door in the hallway. He wore his breeches and his hoodie, both of his hands stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie while his hood was up and over his head.

“Are you feeling better?” Rapunzel asked from the opposite end of the hall.

“Better than earlier this morning.” The leader walked from his door to where his teammate and guest stood. “Now we can finally have even teams and someone to judge the food.”

Rapunzel’s green eyes lit up, her entire body shaking up and down in pure excitement. “Oh, finally yes! I’m sure you’re not as bad as the other three at cooking, Elsa. We’re actually setting up for the competition now! Let’s go, let’s go.” Rapunzel’s dainty hand reached over to enclose around Elsa’s wrist before forcefully pulling her along.

The Protector stumbled at the sheer strength of the brunette. Although, she was able to drag the young girl along, with Jack following closely behind, chuckling at his teammate’s excitement.

* * *

“I still think the teams were unfair.” Rapunzel grumbled on the right side of the couch facing the fireplace.

They were entering into the later hour of the night. The Sigils had their cooking competition with teams divided where Team A was Ariel, Elsa and Merida while Team B was Rapunzel, Jack and Flynn. They decided for Aladdin to be the judge, being that Merida thought everything tasted the same and Flynn would obviously favor Rapunzel’s team.

Team A had won, Elsa being the unexpected cook that she was. The group had eventually settled in the common area, chatting with each other while eating their dinner. It was also the first time Elsa had seen the screen light up, watching with awe as a game of Pictionary ensued with the help of a magical tablet that replicated what was drawn on the tablet to the television screen.

When reaching the end of the night, Aladdin was the first to get up and stretch his body. “Well, Flynn and I have a 6 am training with Master Aura, so I should head to bed.” Flynn stood up and nodded his head in agreement.

Merida nodded her head, standing up as well. “I’m going to go shooting in the woods tomorrow morning as well.”

“And I also have to check on all those sea animals for their weekly status.” Ariel stood up. Aladdin, Merida and Flynn had already retreated back into their respective hallways. “Maybe you can join one of us in our trainings with Master Aura tomorrow.” Ariel directed to Elsa.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea! You may be best tagging along with Ariel, considering that both of your skills involve more magical and unique channeling.” Rapunzel pipped in.

Jack silently nodded his head. The leader stood up as well, stretching his body. “Well, I might as well head to bed.”

Ariel raised an eyebrow at the leader. “Are you going to really head to bed?”

“Nope, not at all. I’ll probably be relaxing in my room.” Jack answered, walking away from the three and into his respective hallway.

“Night guys.” Ariel yawned, walking to her respective hallwayl.

Elsa stood up from her seat on the couch that was facing the screen, about to head to her temporary room when she felt someone grab her wrist, halting her from moving forward.

“Can we talk for a bit?”

Elsa turned around to see Rapunzel looking up at her from her seat on the couch, her green eyes pleading for the Protector to agree.

“Sure.”

Rapunzel released her hold on Elsa’s wrist while the latter girl took a seat on the couch opposite of Rapunzel. The brunette girl took a breath.

“Look… I know that you and Anna are in love and together, and I know how much you would want to go back to her.”

Elsa’s shoulders tensed, an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach as Rapunzel introduced the topic of the conversation.

“And trust me when I say that all I want is my baby cousin’s happiness… but Elsa, you need to know what you’re capable of, and what you’re capable of is beyond just only protecting a Royalty of a Kingdom.”

Elsa released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Her cerulean blue eyes gazed from Rapunzel’s pleading, green ones to the ground, finding it a bit less intimidating.

“And I guess I shouldn’t be speaking considering that I got both the love of my life and to help people… but I also had to give up my family for this position. My situation may not be the same as yours, but I became a Sigil because I knew that my powers deserved to be used beyond just the walls of my Kingdom. I knew that I had to help everyone else in the world.”

“You see, yes, I was searching for Flynn, but I also did not know about the entire situation with Flynn until I had already accepted to become a Sigil. When Ariel and Aladdin saved me, they made me realize that there is a greater evil out there that needs to be dealt with. I joined because I couldn’t stand innocent people being taken away – innocent people getting hurt. I knew that if I joined the Sigils, it would help them be one step closer to possibly ridding of this greater evil, and although evil may not necessarily be ridden from the world, we’ll be one step closer from consulting this enemy organization.”

“I think my goal of joining the Sigils was to make sure that no one else got hurt from this mysterious, omnipotent organization that we’re fighting against. Once they’re gone, I plan on going back to my family, but until then…”

Rapunzel sighed when she noticed that Elsa was still staring at the ground. “Until then, I can’t rest knowing that people are getting hurt. Think about the thousands of lives you can help and save, Elsa. I put it in perspective regarding if the organization were to attack Arendelle…”

The mention of the Kingdom which the Protector reigned from caused her eyes to look up at those green ones. Rapunzel offered the girl a small smile. “I thought about if the evil organization were to attack Arendelle, and what would happen to my uncle, aunt and baby cousin. I thought about how I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it because I wouldn’t even have a single clue when and where the attack would come from; I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it because I would just be in my Kingdom, but if I joined the Sigils, I would know about it enough to help prepare and mitigate the damage.”

“Although joining the Sigils would definitely cause your separation from Anna, you being a Sigil would secure the Princess’s safety much more from the evil organization. If you were to go back and be her Protector, you wouldn’t know when the organization would attack.”

Tears starting to flow down Rapunzel’s baby-like cheeks, and Elsa didn’t realize that she herself was crying until she felt wetness on her own cheeks.

Even through her sorrowful eyes, Rapunzel’s voice didn’t waver. “I also put it in perspective of Flynn’s and I’s situation. Besides being able to do better at saving my family in Arendelle and Corona, I thought about how Flynn and I were both affected by the evil organization. In your perspective, if you were to join the Sigils, think of all the heartbreaks you can prevent from someone being taken away by their loved one. Think of all the childhood, best friend lovers that you can save if you were to join the Sigils.”

She couldn’t restrain it anymore. The Protector released a small sob as more tears flowed down her cheeks. Her vision blurred and she didn’t realize that the brunette had moved until she felt the shorter girl wrap her arms around the Protector’s neck, pulling her into a comforting, warm, motherly hug.

“Please Elsa, just think about it, okay? I know that it’s unfair if you were to become a Sigil; you can’t see Anna but think about all those that you will be saving. It sucks that, if you do become a Sigil, you’re the one taking the brunt of the consequences, but what really helped me get through it was the fact that I found another family in this ragtag group of people. You saw during dinner how our dynamic works.” Rapunzel let out a small but sad giggle. “We’re all goofballs that have wretched pasts, but we all have each other because we know that what we’re doing is the right thing. We’re here as Sigils not only to protect our loved ones and all those in the world, but to also protect each other.”

Elsa nodded her head against Rapunzel’s shoulder, her form trembling underneath Rapunzel’s motherly touch.

“There is no rush for you to decide, but please, consider that.”

The two stayed in their current position on the couch, Elsa’s trembling form being nurtured and pacified slowly under Rapunzel’s touch. As the minutes ticked on, Elsa knew that she couldn’t keep Rapunzel waiting out here for too long.

When the blonde was able to steady herself, she retreated from Rapunzel. Her cerulean blue eyes looked into the sympathetic green ones.

“I’m going to bed if that’s okay?” She spoke for once in their entire conversation.

Rapunzel nodded her head, pulling away from her baby cousin’s lover. “Of course. I’m sorry, Elsa.”

The Protector stood up on wobbly legs. Elsa used the sleeve of her clean, long-sleeve shirt to wipe her eyes. “No, it’s okay. Thank you, Rapunzel.”

Elsa proceeded taking steps away from the couches. The younger girl spoke for the third time in that conversation. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight Elsa.”

The Arendellian proceeded to walk to her respective hallway. Elsa walked down the hall, taking the expected turn and a few steps until she reached her bedroom door. Instead of heading into her room, Elsa’s feet carried her to the end of the hall.

The youngest girl of the household raised her hand on the door she stopped at and softly knocked on it. Once she had done so, she could faintly hear the sound of rustling beyond the door followed by approaching footsteps.

Her icy blue eyes looked down at the ground. As Elsa waited for the individual behind the door to open it, all that echoed in her mind were those words that made her realize where she needed to be.

_“Elsa, even if you’re my Protector, will you promise me to also protect the people when you are given the opportunity to?”_

The door swung open, unveiling a Jack who had dressed down into his pajamas: a t-shirt that was the same shade as his hoodie with space grey sweats.

Jack looked at the girl in front of him, his forehead creasing in confusion. “Elsa, what’s up?”

_“Of course, Anna. I promise I will always protect and help the innocent, just like the people in our book.”_

She couldn’t believe she was going to break her promise.

Elsa released an unsteady breath. Her blue eyes looked up to meet Jack’s concerning, sapphire ones. “Jack, I have an answer to your Sigil offer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, basically last chapter that will be held in this setting and it will change!!! Anyways, I've been a bit caught up with work and not with writing, so the chapters are currently up to date with what I'm writing. Will see you soon for the next update though :)


	19. The Ice Queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry for the late update, but thank you for being so patient. Bridging chapter, but hope you enjoy!

Cerulean blue eyes gazed at the bookshelves that she had seen regularly for the past five years. Elsa could smell the familiar scent that lingered in the air; the scent that hadn't changed over the past five years; the scent that made her heart beat rapidly against her chest and her mind spin.

The chair and desk never changed over the past five years that she had seen them. In fact, their study had basically stayed the same as it had over the years. The only exception was the fact that the books which Anna was reading and learning from was constantly being switched out at a faster pace than usual. Eventually, two years after the attack on Arendelle, Anna had learned the necessary items she needed to become a Queen.

The young girl’s fastened learning made Elsa’s heart swell. The Protector was proud at the diligence of the soon-to-be Queen of Arendelle.

Currently, there was still a section of books to increase Anna’s knowledge, but they were intermixed within the plethora of books that made its home on the bookshelves.

The Protector felt a vibration on her wrist.

Elsa released a small sigh, knowing exactly why her wrist felt as if it was vibrating. She looked down, seeing the watch flash again with a message.

A small frown perched upon her lips when her eyes scanned the message. Elsa’s cerulean blue eyes took one last glance into the study before she looked down from the height that she stood. The Protector focused on de-scaling the East Wing of the Arendelle castle from her usual spot on one of the towers.

Elsa had learned how to scale the impossible East Wing of the Arendelle castle five years ago. Through her prior experience and new training, she was able to stealthily hide herself and eventually learn how to climb the walls.

After coming to visit Arendelle at least three times a week for the past five years, she was experienced at knowing the entire layout of the Kingdom, adjusting to any changes that were made throughout the Kingdom.

When her feet gingerly landed onto the ground, Elsa, with the Arendelle Sigil on the back of her black cloak, walked towards the sea. A bubble encased her form before she submerged herself into the water.

After traveling the sea for a mile, the Sigil of Arendelle ascended up to the shoreline of the forest on the outskirts of Arendelle. When her white, sandaled feet hit the sand, she saw a large, white wolf run towards her. The wolf wore a black mask with rainbow jewels and snowflakes decorated about the black mask.

The wolf nearly tackled the cloaked Sigil, but Elsa was able to steady herself. The wolf stood on its hind legs and placed its frontal paws on the cloaked Sigil’s shoulders, leaning forward so that its snout entered into the dark depths of the hood before licking the individual hiding underneath it.

“Olaf, down boy.” The hooded figure giggled. The command only caused the wolf to continue its assault of licks into the depths of the hooded figure.

“About time ye showed up, lass.” The sound of another voice broke through the atmosphere followed by the roar of a bear. The roar was what caused the wolf to retreat from the hooded figure, turning around with its tail wagging excitedly.

The hooded figure looked up to meet another one in the exact same attire as themselves: black cloak and midnight epaulettes with rainbow jewels donning the top of their shoulders. Underneath their hood, the shine of the rainbow jewel which decorated the black mask glinted amongst the blue embers decorating the mask.

Instead of having a sword with a white snowflake guard on their belt, they had a quiver of arrows in place. The individual also had another quiver that hung from their back, barely blocking the DunBroch Sigil that donned their cloak. The hooded figure held a bow in their left hand, made of a pure white wood, that also had tiny specs of the rainbow jewel scattered in certain areas.

Next to the DunBroch Sigil was a large, black bear on four legs, looking at the Arendelle Sigil and the wolf with another growl.

The wolf looked excitedly between the two Sigils and the bear, releasing another bark in response.

The Arendelle Sigil answered. “I’m here and made it in time, didn’t I?”

“I just worry about ye sometimes. When ye ain’t spendin time wit us, ye always be hidin away in Arendelle…makes me think you would leave us.”

“You know I wouldn’t.”

“I know.”

Silence ensued between the cloaked individuals.

“We should get going.” The Arendelle Sigil spoke. The archer in front of her nodded her head before the two disappeared out of sight.

The two traveled stealthily through the branches of the trees of the woods. Although Merida had spent her mornings in the forest, Elsa had prior experience and would join the archer on occasions.

Their partners trailed behind on ground, quietly running through the forest as they kept track of their Sigil’s movements. The two had eventually reached a small building that had a wooden sign at the top. The words “Artic Reef” were painted in black, while below the words, “Bar and Alcohol” were in smaller print.

Merida raised her hand, halting the movements of the Arendelle Sigil and their companions. The archer hooked her bow to her back, angling it in such a way that blocked the DunBroch symbol on her back entirely. She continued to reach towards her own epaulettes, removing them from her shoulders before shoving them into her cloak.

“I’ll grab some intel and let you know if I need you to come in. I don’t think its productive if you were to walk in.”

Elsa nodded from her branch. She leaned her body against the trunk of the tree. “I’ll be listening in.”

The archer only nodded her head before hopping down from the tree. Elsa watched as Merida’s form entered into the building that she had passed by once. The Sigil recalls how odd it was that there was just a bar in the middle of nowhere between Arendelle and the town she had escorted the noble to when she was training under Spymaster Kallum.

Elsa sighed again, her head and thoughts wandering away. _I wonder what Kallum has been up to… it doesn’t seem like he has been in Arendelle each time I have visited._

There were times when Elsa considered trying to track down Kallum. After the Protector had accepted the proposal to become a Sigil, she vigorously trained under Master Aura and her other teammates. Besides training and missions, she found herself developing stronger bonds with the other Sigils, partaking in their social events and gatherings. Although, even then, when she did have tiny moments of time, usually before certain missions or on days where there was nothing planned, she would find solace in visiting Arendelle, peering into the castle from afar after scaling and hiding herself on the East Wing side of the castle.

Through balancing her relationships with her newfound, second family, her trainings and visiting Arendelle, she never had the time to actually hunt for the wandering Kallum.

Releasing another breath, Elsa’s icy blue eyes glowed under her hood.

She was seeing what was occurring in the bar that Merida had stepped into in real time. The Arendellian was watching through the perspective of a glassy, blue bug that peered from the dark corner.

The archer walked towards the bar, taking a seat on the bar stool and keeping her hood down. The bar was barely filled with any patrons; there were the usual day drinkers scattered about, mostly in pairs or groups of three. There was about four other parties in the room, including a lone figure that Elsa had spotted through the vision of her bug, sitting at the far corner of the room.

The individual wore a black trench coat that covered their entire body. Their head and face were masked by a royal purple hood that came from underneath their trench coat.

The Arendelle Sigil decided to focus on that person while Merida was dealing with the bartender. The light-blue bug crept forward, inching closer to the lone individual until it was about four feet away, positioned in a place where it can keep an eye on the rest of the parties and the lone individual.

“Yar messing with the wrong people! Who do you think you are?!” the bartender bellowed, making the entire bar silent. All eyes shifted towards the commotion occurring in the middle of the room.

The burly bartender stood at the bar; his hands slammed onto the table while his eyes narrowed to the cloaked individual with the bow on their back.

Elsa looked back to see that the lone person’s body had tensed up. Meanwhile, the rest of the patrons in the room were starting to stand from their seat.

“I am just asking where you are hiding the rest of your team.” Merida had spoken aloud, figuring that the rest of the patrons were the bartender’s allies. “There is no possible way that a bar, in the middle of nowhere, is merely here only to be a pitstop for travelers. There has to be more.”

The rest of the parties started to inch their way forward towards Merida, daggers and bottles in hand. The lone individual only sat in the corner, watching the entire scene unfold.

“Yar a Sigil, aren’t you? The infamous archer with perfect aim and magical arrows? Yar don’t scare me, yar don’t scare any of us, right boys?” The bartender challenged with a smirk. The remaining patrons chuckled lowly, nodding their head as they continued to prowl towards Merida.

“Ye right, I am a Sigil. And ye right about how ye shouldn’t be afraid of me… I’m one of the lessah threats when it comes to that team, but ye do know that we Sigils rarely travel alone. Do you think it’s wise to attack me now?”

“I’m sure that we, along with all the other boys that will be coming up in just a moment, can handle you and your pathetic friend.” The bartender snarled.

Merida laughed. She emitted a hearty laugh at their pure cockiness and confidence. The bartender only glared at the Sigil’s amusement while the remaining patrons had stopped advancing towards the Sigil, confused as to why she was suddenly laughing like a maniac.

“Enjoy your last laugh because you won’t be able to do that again once you’re dead.” the bartender growled.

Merida’s laugh subsided, and with an amused voice, she asked the critical question that would change everything. “Do you know who my other partner is?”

“That don’t matter, we can beat the both of you!” a man in the crowd yelled.

“Even if it’s the Ice Queen?”

Silence. Everything in the bar was silent that Merida believed their enemies had stopped breathing. The bartender and men, who were once ready to fight, all tensed up in a frozen state.

“Y-Y-You’re bluffing! The Ice Queen would never come to a small shack here, that’s insane!” One man stuttered.

“P-preposterous!” Another tried to affirm.

“They wouldn’t send her here, there’s bigger threats than us.” The bartender, whose voice was once strong, now waivered with fear.

Merida looked at the man under her hood. “You do know what the Sigil on her back is, don’t ya?"

Before anyone can respond, a basement door on the far-right corner, opposite from where the lone individual sat, had swung open. A dozen of men jumped out from the basement, their eyes searching for the perpetrator that the bartender must have warned them about. Although, the moment that they had jumped out, the bar seemed to have entered into a frozen state.

One of the patrons were the first to fall to his knees, his eyes stricken and his lips quivering with fear. The dagger that he had held was thrown across the room. He bowed his head, clasping his hands together as he begged.

“P-Please spare me.”

A couple of men that were originally in the upper level of the bar also fell to their knees, following in suit of their frightened ally.

The men from the basement had advanced towards the center of the room. The bartender stood there, frozen in his state and unable to speak when one of the men had asked.

“Can’t deal with Sigil scum? Why are you all cowering?”

“The Air Team is pathetic.” Another snarled.

Merida laughed again in her seat, finishing the drink that she was served earlier from the bartender. “I’m sure that the Ice Queen would spare those who decide to quit your organization. We’re only here to wipe those who are plotting, mostly the higher ups of this location. We also have intel that you are hiding something. I’m assuming that would also be in the basement.”

The mention of the Ice Queen caused all the new arrivals to tense. Merida released another chuckle, hopping off of her highchair before taking her bow out from her back.

“What shall it be?” Merida asked the crowd.

No one replied amongst the men above. The only sounds that echoed within the air were the whimpers of those who pleaded for their life. The lone individual continued to sit in their spot, their back stiff and tense as they witnessed the current situation unfolding.

“Yar bluffing!” One of the new arrivals challenged.

“Any last words then, Captain M?” Merida laughed, recognizing the target.

Captain M, a young man with brown hair and brown eyes, glared at the Sigil that mocked him. He immediately withdrew his short sword, pointing it carelessly at the archer. His brown eyes glared at the Sigil before pointing it in the corner where the mysterious patron had sat.

“If I’m going down, I’m making sure that onlookers will follow. Boys!”

More men had appeared from the entrance of the basement in the corner. The archer only released an audible, disappointed sigh while the men had approached the tense onlooker in the corner.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” The DunBroch Sigil warned.

Elsa, from her position through the lenses of a bug, noticed how the onlooker shoved their hands into the pockets of their black coat. The bug turned its head to watch half a dozen men approach the onlooker with short swords in hand.

“Why shouldn’t we do it, eh?” Captain M challenged.

The answer to all of those in the bar was clear when a draft of cool wind entered the room. A blue light flashed in front of the onlooker followed by a flurry of white snow. The men, who were once approaching the onlooker, halted their movements and stood rigid.

The flurry of snow swirled around in a circle in front of the onlooker. The snow continued its circulation until eventually, what the snow was surrounding was difficult to decipher. After a few seconds, the shape of a tall, slender individual stood in the middle of the circulating snow.

The circulation of the snow slowly came to a stop, but the temperature of the room had dropped drastically. In front of the onlooker stood an individual wearing the same attire as the archer at the bar. Instead of a DunBroch Sigil on their back, the flower of Arendelle shined brightly under the neutral light.

The Arendelle Sigil stood in front of the onlooker; their sword wielded out. The steel of the sword had a light-blue tint, the handle of the sword was a navy blue with a pure white pommel and sapphire in the center. The infamous snowflake guard finished off the sword, the signature item that the Arendelle Sigil was recognized for.

“Show off.” Merida muttered, turning her attention to her partner. Those enemies, who were once approaching the innocent onlooker, instantly fell onto their knees, cowering in fear.

“Please spare us!”

“I just want to go back to my family!”

“My family is being threatened.”

The Arendelle Sigil stood in front of the men who begged on their knees, their heads bowed, and their eyes focused onto the ground. No one made a single move as the Arendelle Sigil stared at the cowering men, as if she was analyzing each and every one of them.

As she was staring down at the men, a dagger came flying towards her peripheral vision. Without moving, the dagger slowed in speed before crystalizing in ice and dropping to the floor. Elsa sighed under her hood and waved her white gloved hand to form a soundproof ice cage, encasing the men that stood in front of her. With that, she turned around and briskly walked towards the archer and the other enemies.

One of the enemies, who was not Captain M, built up the courage he needed to lunge forward to Elsa with a hidden short sword. Elsa elegantly slid to the side before slashing her sword downward, cutting the man’s hand off along with his short sword.

The man screamed and dropped to his knees in shock, staring at his amputated limb that was on the ground.

“So ye all really think ye got a chance against the Ice Queen?” Merida laughed, watching the scene unfold. Elsa rolled her eyes under her hood before turning towards the group of men and her partner.

Her sword stained of the man’s blood, and all the enemies stared at it with eyes as wide as moons. Elsa took a step forward, and instantaneously, half of the men fell to their knees, groveling and begging for forgiveness and pity.

“So, Captain M,” Elsa’s smooth voice penetrated the cool room. “who else are we waiting for to join the party? It seems like you’re stalling.”

The man in charge stood there with his spine upright and tense.

“Captain M, one of the lower ranks in the organization with powers in Earth, specialization of mud, also runs this bar with another individual. I am assuming we are out here stalling time for your partner to come in, and once he or she does arrive, you would have hope to defeat us, correct?”

“That is correct.” Another voice spoke out. Elsa turned towards the back corner where the voice had originated from to note a man with a 5 o’clock beard and scruffy brown hair holding the onlooker in a death grip, his forearm against their throat.

Elsa sighed under her hood and took one step towards them.

The newcomer tightened their grip around the onlooker and yelled. “Don’t take another step forward! If you do, this one is dead.”

Elsa stopped her movements and only glared at the newcomer under her hood.

“So, it is true, isn’t it? The Ice Queen, feared by thousands, also has a soft spot for innocent people. No wonder why feelings and rumors about you are ambiguous.”

“I suggest you let him go.” Elsa’s calm voice replied. The sound of footsteps echoed behind her, signaling the rustling of the other men that were ready to pounce.

“Or what? I can easily snap his neck right now, so you’re under my control.”

“Lad, I suggest you let him go.” Merida warned, taking out her bow from her back to hold in her left hand.

“Don’t shoot, archer.” The man snarled.

Merida’s shoulders moved up and down. “I won’t shoot, but I just warned you.”

The second Merida had finished her sentence, chains of ice suddenly grabbed the man from behind, forcefully yanking him backwards and loosening his grip on the hostage. The chains pulled him into the wall that had an icicle intruding from it. The man was stabbed from his back and through his abdomen from the icicle.

The impaled man’s eyes widened as he looked down at the icicle. His arms were restrained to the wall from the ice chains as blood surrounded his wound.

“You made Ice Queen mad.” Merida laughed. The archer looked down at her left wrist, exposing a watch. “We should finish here and get going soon; the leader needs us urgently somewhere.” Merida directed to her partner.

The Arendelle Sigil nodded their head under the hood. The sound of a stampede of footsteps approached them. The DunBroch Sigil swiftly turned around and shot arrows at the approaching enemies. Meanwhile, chains of ice materialized from thin air, wrapping around the ankles and wrists of those who were attacking them.

This gave the archer enough time to shoot the approaching enemies down. Each of her arrows pierced into the enemy, disabling them in some sort of way.

The Ice Queen stood there, watching as her ally shot each enemy down while her chains withstood their strength even through the clashing of swords against it.

As the DunBroch Sigil shot the last enemy down, Elsa had known that something was wrong. The Arendelle Sigil casted a snowstorm inside the bar, halting the archer from her continuous assault.

In a blink of an eye, Elsa manifested in front of the onlooker from a flurry of snow. The sound of metal clashed against metal while the snowstorm condensed around the sound of impact.

When the snow cleared, the Arendelle Sigil stood in front of the onlooker, their sword with the snowflake guard clashed against Captain M’s ordinary sword. There were two mud golems, frozen in ice, on each side of the Arendelle Sigil.

The DunBroch Sigil shot her last arrow before quickly looking down at her watch. Her voice was frantic. “We have to go now, Icey!”

With her partner’s agitated request, the Arendelle Sigil positioned her sword to knock away Captain M’s sword. The sword flew out of the man’s hands and into the air. In a brief second, ice encased the sword before it dissipated into thin air.

The man tried to quickly lunge forward, his palms open and exposed, as if he was planning to launch an attack. Although, Captain M was frozen in his place while ice was creeping upwards from his feet. His hands were encased in ice, disabling him from using his powers.

“No, this can’t be it!” He yelled. His eyes quickly glanced from his dead partner impaled on the wall to his henchmen that were shot dead by the archer.

In the next second, the man was entirely encased in ice before shattering into tiny pieces.

Elsa released a breath she didn’t realize she as holding. Her body and shoulders relaxed once the fight was over. The Arendelle Sigil looked at Merida, noting how the archer was constantly staring at her communication watch.

Elsa sheathed her sword back into the hilt on her belt and took a step forward. Before she could proceed towards her partner, she felt someone grab her wrist frOm behind. Turning around, Elsa was met with hopeful, grey eyes.

Ever muscle in her body was taut at the onlooker who stood in front of her. They still wore their black trench coat that covered their body, but the purple hood was down, unveiling their facial features.

His grey eyes looked hopefully at the Arendelle Sigil. His brown hair was still in its typical ruffled state, but it was longer in length than usual. He had a light amount of facial hair from his ears down to his chin and above his lips. To anyone else, he looked like an ordinary, slim man in his early thirties.

“E-Elsa?”

The man’s recognition of her caused the Arendelle Sigil’s world to spin.

Spymaster Kallum.

Here stood in front of her the man that had taught her skills that she used to this day; here stood the man that had abandoned his duty to be in search of her for the past five years; here stood the man that she had seen as a mentor.

_But how does he recognize me? How does he know it’s me?_

Elsa was barely able to see it under his trench coat.

A snowflake guard on his dual-wielding daggers.

“We have to go now!” Merida’s distressed voice broke through Elsa’s stunned trance. The archer was never distressed about anything. Whatever Jack needed that required their presence must have been urgent.

Elsa turned towards her partner, who was now waiting at the door of the bar. Before the Sigil could take another step, she felt another tug at the grip around her wrist.

“Kid.”

The Sigil turned back to her mentor to see his grey eyes pleading for her to say something. Those grey eyes, that barely asked for anything, was desperate for some sort of answer or reply from the Arendelle Sigil.

“Now, Ice Queen.” Merida’s stern voice echoed within the air.

Gazing at her mentor’s eyes for one more second, Elsa quickly turned around and pulled away from his grip. The Arendelle Sigil ran towards the exit of the door, following the archer who had left immediately after seeing the Ice Queen run towards her.

* * *

Anna released a frustrated sigh, pacing back and forth in the empty throne room. The Princess had aged well throughout her teenage years, eventually growing out of her twin-braids and going with a hairstyle of having her hair down with a small braid wrapping around the back.

A set of brown eyes watched the pacing, distressed 20-year-old from the corner of the room. While Anna was pacing, the watcher spoke.

“Just wait for your mother and father to come back and they’ll handle the Board.” The burly blonde boy in the corner mentioned. His attire was a dark-brown leather tunic and dark-brown leather breeches with pointed shoes. He had an ordinary sword sheathed on the hilt of his belt.

“They’ve been pressuring me to do this for the past three years, Kristoff. Don’t you think my parents have tried to deal with them?”

“Well it makes sense why.” The boy grumbled, causing Anna to abruptly stop her pacing and turn towards the boy. Her teal eyes glared daggers at him.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me, your Highness.” Kristoff scoffed, pushing himself away from the corner he was hiding at and making his way towards the younger girl.

“You have no right to say that.” Anna growled, her hands clenching into fists.

“Oh yeah? It’s been five years, Anna. This needs to stop.”

“What also needs to stop is your feelings for me.” The young girl snapped back.

Kristoff sighed, rolling his brown eyes. “Well, that’s why you’re agreeing with the Board’s decision to find you a replacement Protector, right? Besides the fact that crazy Kallum could potentially lose his position as Spymaster.”

“You just don’t understand.”

“Oh, I understand perfectly. This sword-fighting tournament being held half a year from now is to find someone to replace me because I can’t keep my feelings in tune, which is fine. Although, you should also know that there are two additional reasons why this tournament is coming into play.”

Anna didn’t reply. Instead, the girl’s teal eyes looked down at the floor somberly.

Her actions gave Kristoff the green light to continue. “This tournament is to also scope out any potential suitors for you. It’s been five years, Anna. Everyone has already come to terms that she’s gone, and the only people that are delusion enough to believe that she’s still out there is you and Spymaster Kallum, which leads me to the third reason why this competition is being held. Someone needs to take over Spymaster Kallum’s position, and he’s too damn stubborn to allow anyone else but her to take it. To comply with everyone, it has come to the point where he will allow someone else from the competition to take his spot as long as he approves of them.”

“Spymaster Kallum hasn’t been in Arendelle for the past five years; he hasn’t done anything about his position and role ever since she disappeared. He has been giving you false hope about her, but you have to accept the fact that she’s gone, Anna.”

“No, I won’t.” the girl weakly replied.

“Yes, you do! You can’t keep waiting for a lost cause; you can’t keep waiting in hopes that she will come back; you can’t keep waiting for her to be here because she never will be! She’s gone, Anna. She was gone the moment we held that funeral for her.”

“No, she can’t be gone. No body was found which means she still can be out there.”

Kristoff groaned, running both of his hands through his blonde hair. “Spymaster Kallum has been a negative influence on you, Anna. Can’t you see it?! Each time he comes back, he tries to invigorate hope in you, but each time he comes back, there’s nothing heard about her. Spymaster Kallum is brainwashing you!”

“I don’t think I’m brainwashing her.” A voice spoke up. The two immediately turned towards the entrance of the door to see the man of word. Spymaster Kallum stood in his royal purple hoodie and black trench coat, his black dress slacks peeking underneath the trench coat.

Kallum glided his way over to the pair. His grey eyes studied his apprentice’s lover keeping her gaze down at the ground while his apprentice’s brother was glaring at him menacingly.

“Speaking of the psycho.” Kristoff started. Kallum was quick to put the younger Winters in place.

“Shut it, I have news.”

“News? You mean more false hope to continue brainwashing the future leader of Arendelle?”

It was Kallum’s turn to glare at the blonde boy. His grey eyes pierced into the blonde’s soul. Kallum’s gaze was something that anyone else would cower upon except Kristoff. The youngest Winters was currently fueled by the fact that he had to watch the girl that he truly cares about always suffer and mope in the past five years. The first year was the roughest time: the girl always being stoic. Although, after she had a discussion with Spymaster Kallum, who visited after being away for a year, Anna had slowly reverted back to her kind, loving self. Even though she did slowly revert back, Kristoff knew that Anna was never the same. Sometimes, the redhead would always be hesitant and guarded.

Kristoff had become a good friend to the Princess after the first year, but he knew that she wasn’t as happy as she can be; he knew that she wasn’t always herself, a piece of her being permanently taken away from his sister’s disappearance.

“Kristoff…” Anna started.

“No, I want to hear what Spymaster Kallum has to say.”

“Do you really? Can you handle the truth?” Kallum growled, taking a step forward.

Kristoff challenged back, taking his own step forward so that he was only a few inches away from the Spymaster. “I’d like to hear you spit out more brainwashing lies.”

“You just can’t handle the fact that even after all these years, although you may have befriended Anna, her heart will never belong to you. You’re salty about the fact that your feelings are always exposed, making your job as her Protector pathetic to the point where we needed to find her a new Protector. If Elsa was here, she would be able to do her job well. That’s the difference between you and your sister; she was always able to utilize her feelings to her benefit, not her detriment.”

“That doesn’t matter! What matters is the fact that you keep coming back, giving her hope that Elsa is still alive. Your constant reassurance has been a detriment to her! I don’t care about never being able to have a chance with Anna; I knew that I would never have a chance with her since the beginning. What I care about, as her friend, is the fact that she can never be as happy as she can be because she’s waiting for someone that will never come back! You both need to accept the fact that Elsa is gone, and she is never coming back.”

“You’re her brother! How can you give up hope on her?” Kallum growled.

“You don’t understand what happened after my sister’s disappearance. Did you know that my father hated my guts because I couldn’t be up to par to her? Did you know that he continuously overtrained himself and I because he couldn’t handle the fact that he lost his child? Even to the point where my mother, the only parent to me, had to come along to his missions in fear that he wouldn’t take care of himself? My father has become a void of nothingness and my family has never been the same since.”

“Stop being so goddamn selfish! You don’t deserve to be related to that kid.”

Kristoff clenched his fist, his brown eyes raging with a fire that always came about each time Kallum gave Anna an updated report. “She’s gone and she is never coming back! You both need to stop being so delusional. Don’t you think she would be back by now if she was alive? Don’t you think that her love for Anna and her promises for her would fuel her to come back if she’s alive? Why hasn’t she come back?”

Anna stood where she was, her teal eyes glistening as droplets of water fell onto the floor of the throne room.

“Maybe because she can’t!” Kallum yelled.

“Because she’s dead!” Kristoff argued.

“She’s not dead. She’s alive!”

“And how would you know that?”

“Because I think I encountered her.”

The room was dead silent with the exception of the heaving breaths between the two men. Kallum’s grey eyes turned towards the Princess. Anna’s teal eyes looked up from the ground, wide and swollen as she digested the news.

“Y-You what?” Anna finally spoke.

Kallum’s grey eyes softened at the Princess. He answered in a soft voice. “On my way here, I stopped by the Artic Reef Bar. There were bad guys and the Archer and the Ice Queen appeared. The Ice Queen… she saved me, but I have a feeling that it’s her.”

“The Arendelle Sigil… the new addition to the Sigils five years ago… you think that’s Elsa?” Anna asked.

Kallum nodded his head. “I… I said her name. I called her kid and she froze up in a way as if she recognized me.”

Kristoff scoffed. “There’s no way. Did you see Elsa with your own two eyes? Don’t Sigils keep their identity hidden? No Sigil would expose themselves.”

Kallum ignored Kristoff, his attention focused on the shocked Princess. “Anna, please believe me. I think that kid is alive, and the reason why she hasn’t come back is because she’s a Sigil now."

“That doesn’t make sense!” Kristoff loud voice boomed within the throne room, causing the two to turn their attention towards him. “Elsa doesn’t have ice powers! She would have used them while she was in Arendelle if she did. Even if she is alive, why would she choose to be a Sigil when her and Anna love each other and shared so many promises? That doesn’t seem like something Elsa would do… Elsa wouldn’t drop love and promises just to become a Sigil.”

“Don’t you think I’ve considered that.” Kallum sighed.

“Exactly! You don’t know if it’s her.”

“But it could be.” Anna spoke softly. Her bittersweet, teal eyes looked between the two that stood in front of her.

“If it is her, then why did she choose not to come back? Why would she abandon her position her? Why would she abandon you? Even if she’s alive, Sigil or not, why isn’t she here?”

“I don’t know.” Anna sighed, looking back down at the ground as thousands of thoughts ran through her head. She needed to process this on her own. “Kallum, how long will you be here for?”

The grey-eyed man spoke. “I think I should stay until both your parents come back. While I was traveling, I grabbed intel of someone possibly planning an attack on Arendelle while the King, Queen and Captain of the Royal Guard are off at sea. Even though I want to find that kid, she would kill me if anything were to happen to you.”

Anna nodded her head. Without saying a word, the Princess walked towards the exit of the throne room. “I am going to my study. I would like to be left alone, please.”

With that, the girl departed from the throne room and ventured to the East Wing of the castle.

* * *

“Hurry.” Merida ushered as the two traveled in the air through the means of Elsa’s ice powers. The two Sigils were currently sliding on a ramp of ice that Elsa continued to materialize a few feet ahead of them.

“I’m trying, I’m trying.” Elsa said, pushing herself to speed them up to the coordinates that Jack had provided. As of now, it was Jack and Ariel at the scene, requesting for back up once they had picked up intel on what was about to occur.

“There!” Merida pointed at three ships surrounding a single ship in the middle. The fight had just begun as one ship was missing their attacks against the middle ship. Meanwhile, a large dragon, made of water, was growling at a snake made out of water.

“They just started. I’m going to try and attack the third ship. Jack is dealing with another ship while Ariel is dealing with the second ship. They’re strong Elsa, so we will need you to play defense.”

Before the Arendelle Sigil can reply, the Archer took an arrow out of the quiver on her back and shot it towards a ship. When the arrow flew into the air, the archer had disappeared along with it. When Elsa was close enough to the middle ship, she created a small snowstorm to transport herself from the sky to the deck of the ship.

When the Arendelle Sigil landed her feet onto the wood of the ship, she noted the men that were fighting the attackers.

_There has to be some royalty or something._

Then, Elsa saw them. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the King and Queen of Arendelle, along with her mother, being protected by her father and the other guards.

To say that they were surrounded would be an understatement: It seemed that they were the sole target in this entire ambush, and the number of guards were dwindling down as more men from the surrounding ships had jumped on.

Elsa felt her wrist vibrate. The Sigil looked down to note the message that Jack had sent.

_Eight Supers._

Elsa sighed. _No wonder why they’re having trouble; there are eight people with powers here._

Elsa’s blue eyes casted over to the water creatures battling it out. _Ariel must be dealing with the water user._

Elsa was quick to act by taking out her own sword and helping the guards fight. There were already hundreds of dead bodies on the ship, meaning that there were only so many guards left to help protect the King and Queen.

The Sigil noticed the superfluous number of men that were coming from a specific ship. She knew that she couldn’t block off that area or else her teammate would be overwhelmed, and it wasn’t like she could leave her position. She was placed on the victim’s ship because she was the last piece of defense for their team.

Elsa elegantly moved across the ship, cutting down each enemy with a precise but smooth glide. The Sigil eventually reached to the Royalty of Arendelle. Her father stood, parrying against four other enemies. When Elsa looked amongst the Arendelle men, she noted that they were only down to about half a dozen alive.

The first person to notice her presence was her mother. Her mother was around the age of Kallum with blonde hair and brown eyes. Her mother’s eyes widened when she noticed the Sigil of Arendelle. Meanwhile, Elsa only gave the woman a brief nod of her head before turning around to face the enemies, the Sigil of Arendelle glinted brightly under the rays of sunlight.

More men piled onto the ship from the direction of the ship that Merida was currently occupied on. With a wave of her hand, a cloud formed right above the area where the surplus number of enemies came from. As enemies poured from that direction, pieces of ice would rain upon them and blanket them into a snowstorm that would toss them out to sea.

Elsa waved her hand again, forming two ice giants to occupy the ship. When Elsa turned around, she saw a man running towards her father. With a quick flick of her wrist, an ice dagger was hurled in his direction, gutting the man as he fell to his knees.

The Protector of the King and Queen, Sir Brandon, turned his head to note the presence of the Arendelle Sigil. His blue eyes inquisitively studied the newcomer’s appearance for a second. The man chuckled and turned his attention back to his opponents.

“Thanks.”

Elsa decided not to speak, because encountering people that were once close to her in life was terrifying. It was already worse enough that Kallum had an assumption of who she was.

The Arendelle Sigil proceeded to adroitly glide around the leaders of Arendelle, cutting down each enemy that dared to take another step forward. The number of enemies onboard had dwindled down once Elsa had made her presence.

Sir Brandon had eased off from fighting the enemies once the Ice Queen had arrived. The older man stood and caught his breath, turning back to his wife, the King and the Queen to check on their well-being.

Elsa continued with her fluid movements, gliding elegantly around the party as she cut down each individual with a smooth cut. When there were enemies crowding around her, she easily ducked, dodged and parried their attacks before ending the enemy.

All seemed calm while the wood of the deck of the ship absorbed the blood of the enemies. Elsa knew that all eyes were on her as she continued to expertly win against each person that lunged at her without any struggle.

The tranquil was broken when Merida’s body was thrown to the Arendelle ship from the ship she was occupied in. The archer, who was tossed carelessly, rolled before she laid on the defck, her body heaving up and down. Closely after Merida’s appearance, the sky started to suddenly darken, and the waves of the sea rocked the ship aggressively back and forth. The sound of thunder echoed within the darkened sky,

Elsa waved her hand, creating a stable, secure ice cube for her parents and the King and Queen of Arendelle. The Sigil acted quickly by running over towards her teammate.

Merida laid on her back, her abdomen soaked with her own blood while her left hand still grasped tightly onto her bow. Her cloak was still intact, but the quiver on her waist was bent and empty of arrows. Under her mask, Merida’s sky-blue eyes dully looked up.

“A-Ariel.” The sky started its sudden downpour of rain, and Merida’s orange hair matted itself against her skin.

Elsa looked down at her teammate, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “What?”

“S-Save h-her.”

It didn’t make sense to Elsa. The DunBroch Sigil laid, bleeding through her abdomen with eyes empty and void of any emotion, and yet, she wanted her to save their other teammate that they haven’t seen or encountered the entire time.

“Why is she in trouble?” Elsa asked, bringing a hand over to Merida’s wound while ice temporarily glazed over it to stop the bleeding.

“Storm. No chance. Save her.”

Before Elsa could proceed to ask any more questions, she heard a light thud to her right.

Another cloaked individual stood in front of her, carrying an individual in their arms. The cloaked individual had a sword in the hilt on their belt. The newcomer, who had the Silva sigil on their back, gingerly placed the cloaked person next to Merida.

Ariel laid there, a large gash near her head and her abdomen basically sliced open, a profuse amount of blood gushing out. Through the darkness, Elsa noticed how her hands suffered severe burns. Her trident, now snapped into two, was also placed next to her body. Her eyes were closed under the bubble mask.

Elsa quickly shoved her hand into her pouch to pull out a vial and handed it to Jack. Jack quickly pulled out another vial, uncapping them and pouring them over Ariel’s wounds. Once the contents of the vial had come into contact with the wounds, the wounds started to slowly close up and heal. Elsa followed up by using her powers to place a protective shield of ice over Ariel’s wounds.

“There’s… three others.”

Elsa swiftly turned towards her leader, noting how his breath was much more staggered and lower than usual. His usual bright and strong voice barely had the strength to utter those words.

Before Elsa could question Jack, the sound of a loud crash echoed within the sky. The ship suddenly tilted to the right due to a sudden weight on that side of the ship.

A crowd of men stood on the right side of the ship. They suddenly multiplied in numbers and all hungrily gazed at the Sigils and the Arendelle Royalty.

“Protect them. I’ll deal with protecting the Arendellians as well as the enemies.” Elsa told Jack. Without giving the leader an opportunity to say another word, Elsa sprinted back towards the ice cube.

Half of the crowd charged towards the Arendellians while the other half charged towards the remaining Sigils. Elsa waved her hand with one motion, materializing tiny shards of ice in the air. With another wave, the shards pointed towards the multiplying crowd before being hurled towards them.

When the icicles came into contact with the crowd, the men vanished into thin air.

_No blood, no nothing._

The ship continuously rocked from the heavy waves. A flash of lightning blinded the entire environment. The men on the ship continued to multiply.

Elsa’s blue eyes glanced towards the center of the crowds to notice two individuals walking towards her direction. Rain continued to assault those on the ship, the only ones protected were the Arendellians in the ice cube.

Elsa created a wave of icicles and hurled them towards the men. Each one vanished into thin air, but the number of enemies never ceased from the attack.

The two people, wearing black cloaks and hoods, advanced towards Elsa and the Arendellians. The crowd of disappearing individuals suddenly stopped their attacks and stood still in a daze. Elsa looked to her right to notice how Jack was using his power to occupy the person of power, halting the overwhelming numbers from attacking.

Another flash of lighting blinded the area before the two men appeared in front of Elsa, their swords struck down against her own ice sword and another. The Sigil glanced to her left to see her father standing there, his sword parrying the other attack.

In that instant, the two simultaneously skidded backwards in sync and away from the enemies.

“Looks like you need a hand, my child. I hope you can explain your whereabouts after this.”

Elsa’s eyes widened as she slowly turned to fully stare at the man that had trained her for the first seventeen years of her life. Sir Brandon didn’t even spare a glance at his daughter; his only reply was his lips curving upward in a small smile and his blue eyes focused onto the two approaching enemies.

Through Elsa’s peripheral vision, she saw the swords come down onto them again. In an instant, father and daughter blocked the attacks before sliding backwards to create distance between themselves and the enemy.

“You don’t think I wouldn’t have recognized the way you fight the moment you held off those men earlier?”

A pillar of water erupted from the ocean and hurled its way towards the pair. The Sigil lifted her hand up, creating an ice wall that blocked and absorbed the attack.

Her blues eyes continued to focus on her father.

“Fight along your old man now, wouldn’t you?”

Another flash of lightning encompassed the room and the sounds of metal clashed against metal.

Water, from the rampaging waves, started to pour onto the ship; rain continuously pelted onto those that weren’t under the safety of a cover over their head; lightning aggressively flashed across the sky.

Father and daughter clashed sword against sword with the opponents. Even for Sir Brandon’s age, he still upheld his title as Brandon the Bodacious. On occasions, Elsa would have to use her ice powers to stop any upcoming attacks, whether if it was lightning or water, from the enemy.

Brandon was able to land a few hits on the water user, who only growled in frustration at the fact that he was losing a swordfight against a mere, powerless human being. Elsa kept up with the lightning enemy’s speed, continuously blocking his attacks and luckily predicting where his lightning would strike. Even the speed of light was the fastest thing in the universe, Elsa could decipher where he would strike based on his body language.

It was only when an agonizing scream that echoed through the terror of the storm was when Elsa’s focus was broken. She turned towards the direction, noting how Jack was on his knees, his head down as he continued to cough up blood.

In that moment, without thinking, Elsa acted instinctively by rushing to her teammates’ side to help with the men that were crowding over them with swords held high. She rushed forward, cutting each enemy down with a swipe of her sword.

Due to her shift in focus, Elsa didn’t realize that there was another occurrence happening. She heard a soft groan, and when her blue eyes shifted from her teammates back to the Arendellians, she noticed blood pouring from her father’s deep wounds. Additionally, there was blood that was being soaked by her cube of ice, with a large amount of men surrounding the ice cube that held her mother, the King and the Queen.

The man of water looked over her father with eyes full of satisfaction and sword held high, ready to decapitate his head. The ice cube continued to soak the blood within, and the crowd of men continued to multiply around the cube.

She felt hopeless and frustrated and…

Everything was surrounded in ice and snow.

All the men that had multiplied from thin air were frozen, the enemy that was towering over her father was frozen and snow was levitating in the air. The storm and lightning, that once casted over them, had come to a halt and was instead replaced by snowflakes and a drop in temperature.

The blood-soaked cube dissipated in thin air to show her mother laying lifelessly on the deck. Next to her mother’s body was Queen Iduna, sobbing profusely at the loss of life, while King Agnarr stood in front of his wife and best friend’s wife, bearing his own abdomen wound.

Elsa rushed back to her father’s side, who finally fell with a thud. The Sigil quickly scanned her father’s body to spot the deep wounds on his thighs, abdomen and chest.

“No… no.” Elsa’s voice quivered as she placed her hands over the wound, desperately trying to cover it with ice in order to stop the bleeding.

“Elsa.”

“No, no.” She whispered frantically, her hands giving off a weak glow as ice barely covered the surface of her father’s wounds.

“My daughter, look at me.”

Elsa’s blue eyes looked up to meet identical blue ones. Her heart clenched as her father’s eyes weren’t filled with pain but only relief.

“Bring me to your mother. I would like to have a last word with you, Agnarr and Iduna before I pass next to your mother’s side.”

“No, you’re not dying.” Elsa yelled, tears already rolling down her cheeks as she continued to focus her powers on her father’s wounds.

“Elsa, please.”

“No!”

Brandon sighed, knowing how stubborn his daughter could be. Thankfully enough, King Agnarr had rushed towards his best friend’s side, Brandon’s wife on his back with Queen Iduna following closely behind.

Agnarr placed the woman gently next to Brandon.

“Thank you, my friend.” Brandon chuckled.

The King only flinched in response, grasping onto his side wound.

“Elsa, stop this please. It’s too late for me, and your powers have weakened after you have frozen everything around us.”

“No, no.”

Instead of trying to argue with his daughter, Brandon grabbed onto her hands, snapping the girl out of her frantic trance as blue eyes looked back up to meet blue.

“I’m glad I finally found you; we’re glad that we finally found you.” Brandon chuckled. “There is no time for me left, so I would like to say some last words to both you and my friends.” Brandon shifted his gaze towards the stunned King and Queen. “Bring your hood down, Elsa. I would like to see your face before it’s all over.”

Elsa hesitantly looked at her father before nodding her head. The Sigil of Arendelle brought her hood down, exposing her identity to all those that were currently conscious. The Sigil had matured, her facial features ridden of her baby fat and her eyes glowing with pain. Her platinum blonde hair was a bit lighter in tone, and instead of being in its classic, single plait, her hair was cascading down her back. Elsa’s wispy bangs were brought to frame her face.

“E-elsa.” King Agnarr’s voice trembled as his green eyes landed on his daughter’s childhood friend.

Elsa turned towards the King and Queen, noting how their eyes were full of both shock and relief.

“She is here, Agnarr. My daughter has become the Sigil of Arendelle.” Brandon chuckled. “I guess this trip was successful after all.”

“W-What?” Elsa turned towards her father. Brandon only shook his head.

“King Agnarr will explain later.”

“Brandon…” Agnarr spoke, his hand still clutching his side.

“Agnarr, thank you for still believing that my daughter was alive and going through lengths to search for her. Thank you, both you and Iduna, for the years of friendship and laughter and love that you have provided me. I am glad that I was able to serve you.”

“Father…” Elsa started.

“And you, Elsa, my dear child, I am proud to have called you my daughter. I’m glad that you’re alive and well, and I just want to let you know that I am so proud of you for being the best you can be. Knowing that you have become a Sigil gives me peace of mind, considering that you’re not dead and have left Arendelle for greater things. I also understand that you may not go back to Arendelle, and your identity cannot be unveiled, but I would like it if you could relay one message for me.”

“What is it?”

Brandon chuckled lowly. “The one regret I have is being so tough on your younger brother. Please tell him that I’m sorry for never giving him the nurturing and love he deserves. Please tell your brother that I’m proud of him for the man that he has become, and I’m sorry that I was never the father figure I could be to him. I’m proud of both you and your brother.”

“Father, please just wait. We can save you, we can – “

“Your teammates are down, Elsa. These opponents were larger than we expected, and you have been drained of all your power. It’s time for you to let me go and let me be with your mother.”

Brandon’s eyes started to get heavy as he looked at his daughter’s saddened countenance for the last time. He offered her a small smile. “I am proud of you, my daughter. Be safe.”

With that, Brandon’s eyes closed with his last breath.

A cynical laugh echoed within the air. Elsa quickly turned around, noting the man with lightning powers and the man with water powers standing before her, unfrozen and unaffected by her powers.

“The organization is weary of you, Sigil of Arendelle. The sacrifice of our teammate will be well worth it considering that you and your teammates will be dead.” One of the cloaked figures spoke.

The snow around Elsa started to fall, and everything around them started to unthaw. The multitudinous amount of men had vanished into smoke, leaving only one lifeless body near the ice cube that had disintegrated after being frozen.

“Be gone, Sigil scum.” The other cloaked figure growled, rushing forward to clash his sword against Elsa’s.

The ship started to shake once more, and lightning flashed within the sky again.

“Once we are ridden of you, we will kill your teammates. Do not worry, we need the King and Queen of Arendelle alive.”

The other cloaked figure rushed towards her with their own sword. Elsa quickly jumped back, dodging the attack.

“Over my dead body.”

The cloaked figure who controlled lightning only laughed. “Gladly.”

In between the flashes of lightning and the rocking of the boat, thanks to the physical training Elsa had to endure, she was able to barely hold off the two without her ice powers.

During her entire skirmish with them, she noted the habits and movements that the lightning figure had made. Finding the precise opening, the Sigil quickly landed a lunge to his chest.

The cloaked figure looked down at the sword that penetrated his flesh. Elsa quickly retracted her sword from the wound, watching as the man looked at her for a few seconds before falling on his side with a thud.

The ship continued to rock treacherously, almost capsizing with each wave.

“You’re more capable than I expected.” The last enemy barely breathed out. Elsa stood six feet away from him, her body heaving up and down as she was trying to catch her own breath.

“I don’t know if I can live.” The enemy looked between the exposed Sigil and the King and Queen. “But I will try and succeed, even if it means sacrificing my own life.” The man yelled, lunging forward with his sword.

In his act of desperation, Elsa was quick enough to sidestep the man before swinging her own sword down, cutting his arm off that held the sword.

The man lowly chuckled. “And if I fail, then no one else can live.”

With that, two sharp pillars of water erupted from the ocean. The pillars locked onto the King and Queen, traveling quickly towards them, ready to sandwich them within the attack.

Elsa’s sword went down on the man’s head, decapitating him and killing him in an instant. Although, the kill didn’t hinder his attack.

Elsa’s eyes widened when the pillars were heading directly towards the King and Queen. With all the power left in her, she rushed forward to deflect one pillar while using her remaining ice powers to block the other.

Water droplets splattered within the area upon impact. The droplets of water that exploded acted as if it was tiny pieces of hail, and the waves continued to rock against the boat.

Elsa barely stood; her body pierced by the explosion of the water pillars. The Sigil turned towards the King and Queen, and her eyes widened at the sight of them. Even though she tried to block the attack, to absorb the majority of the attack, the explosion still affected the King and Queen. King Agnarr and Queen Iduna were bleeding profusely, holding each other in their arms as if it was the last thing they would do in their lives.

The waves continued to assault the ship. The ship was on the verge of capsizing at the rate that the waves were pelting them at.

“Elsa.”

Elsa’s blue eyes focused on green, who only looked at her with a sympathetic smile.

“The purpose of this trip was to find you.”

Everything around the Sigil seemed to have dropped. “W-why?”

“Ever since you left, our daughter was never the same. Sure, she was still the young, go-happy Princess that loved her people, but we always knew that she wasn’t the happiest she can be. She was always hesitant when it came to certain things, and we knew that hesitancy was due to your absence.” King Agnarr spoke.

“We needed to find you, and we’re glad that we did.” Queen Iduna’s voice was hoarse and weak.

“Even if it’s at the cost of our lives; our daughter and her happiness mean the world to us.” King Agnarr followed his statement with a cough of blood.

Elsa looked between the King and Queen. Their eyes weren’t full of regret, weren’t full of pain, weren’t full of sorrow. Instead, their eyes were full of relief and joy, as if they had accomplished all they needed to do in life.

“Please, keep our daughter safe and happy.” Queen Iduna spoke.

“Elsa, please bring her back. Please make Anna happy again. That is our only wish.” King Agnarr finished.

Before the Sigil could reply, before she could act and respond, lightning flashed and the ship had finally given into the waves. The entire ship that they were all boarded upon capsized.

Elsa fell into the depths of the aggressive waves, her body trying its best to keep afloat, but due to the belligerent waves and her fatigue body, she only felt herself being tossed within the depths of the ocean.

Her body had overexerted itself, and her eyelids heavily closed in on itself.

* * *

A frail body stayed under the covers of the bed. A large wolf curled up at the foot of the bed, only looking at the frail body while emitting small, occasional whimpers.

The room was dark and dinky. It seemed as if barely anything was touched. A pitcher of water and a cup was untouched on the bedside table. The curtains were closed over the balcony door, disabling any light from penetrating into the room.

The door creaked open and light introduced itself into the room. A figure, wearing a cobalt blue hoodie and light brown breeches, stood at the door frame. The figure had messy, snow white hair and cobalt blue eyes that distinctively glowed even within the depths of the dark room.

“Elsa.”

“Leave me alone.” The figure under the covers replied, their voice weak, frail and vulnerable.

“You can’t keep hiding yourself away.”

“I haven’t. I still go to training, don’t I?”

“You train to exert stress, but we need you, Elsa.”

“No, I failed the mission. You don’t need me.”

“We all failed the mission, Elsa.”

“Just… leave me alone, Jack.”

“It’s been six months since you’ve gone on a mission.”

“Jack, please.”

“You need to stop holing yourself up in your room.”

“Please, just leave me be.”

“I would,” The leader chuckled. He took a step into the room. “but we need you to do this mission, and you’re the only one capable for it.”

“And why would I be the only one capable for it? I haven’t gone on a mission in the past six months. I failed the last mission, resulting in the deaths of everyone. I failed the last mission where the four of us could have died.”

“But we didn’t, now did we? Ariel’s companions and Rapunzel came in time to follow up.”

“Find someone else to do the mission.”

“No.”

The figure slightly leaned up on the bed. Weak, crystal blue eyes looked at the cobalt ones. “Why? Why do _I_ have to do this mission? Why can’t anyone else do it?”

Jack gave his teammate a small smile.


	20. Elena Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your overwhelming support even though I didn't post for a month from Ch. 18-19 <3  
> Things are picking up!!! hehehehehe

_“This is stupid.”_

_A wild Anna appeared next to her Protector, who was leaning against the wall on the left side of the ground level of the grand ballroom. The young girl, approximately around the age of thirteen, stood with her pink dress and arms crossed against her chest._

_Elsa, dressed in her usual long-sleeve light blue shirt and tights, only laughed at the girl’s disposition._

_“One of your many duties.”_

_The Princess’s bottom lip jutted forward in a small pout._

_“But I don’t want to dance with them!”_

_Elsa chuckled. “I mean, the last one you danced with didn’t seem too bad.”_

_The redhead’s pout intensified even more._

_“Just because they’re good dancers doesn’t mean I enjoy dancing with them.”_

_“If you have a good dance partner, wouldn’t it be enjoyable dancing with them?”_

_Another song started echoing within the walls of the ballroom. Anna quickly scanned the room to see her parents occupied by another foreign dignitary. The young Princess released a sigh of relief, her teal eyes looking back at her amused Protector._

_“That’s not always the case. I enjoy dancing with you more than everyone else, including the best dancers I’ve danced with.”_

_Elsa raised an eyebrow at the Princess. “Did you just call me a bad dancer?”_

_Anna opened her mouth, about to say something, before closing it again. Silence ensued between the two. Elsa continued to stare at the Princess, waiting for her to answer._

_…_

_“I mean…” Anna started._

_…_

_  
“You don’t dance terribly… just uhm… stiffly?” Anna concluded._

_Elsa was now glaring at the girl. Anna gave her a small smile._

_“But I would rather dance with you! I enjoy dancing with you more than anyone else by tenfold.”_

_“Dances and balls aren’t my thing.” Elsa grumbled._

_Anna giggled. “Well, you’re going to be my Protector, so you have to attend all the balls and make it your thing.”_

_The Protector stayed silent, staring at the ground with a frown adorning her face. Anna giggled again._

_“Cute.” The Princess thought. The redhead took a couple of steps forward so that she stood in front of the Protector._

_“Come on, dance with me.” The younger offered her hand._

_“No, I’m a bad dancer.”_

_“Then dance with me so that we can practice in making you a better one.”_

_Cerulean blue eyes looked up to meet doting, teal ones. Elsa’s breath was hitched in her throat. All time seemed to stop around time, and all Elsa could see was an angel standing in a brightened, blurred environment. Anna shook her offering hand again._

_“Dance with me, please? I want to share this last dance with you.”_

* * *

Elsa stood on the second floor of the balcony, her piercing, crystal blue eyes peering down at the ground level of the ballroom she was currently occupied in. Simultaneously, she was looking at the ballroom from many different angles due to her ice bugs being stealthily scattered around the grand ballroom.

From each perspective, all she saw were masks, tuxedos and dresses.

_Yep, another masquerade ball._

Elsa never understood why Arendelle always loved to hold masquerade balls. Each ball or event that she had attended from other countries never required an individual to wear a mask.

This masquerade ball was also different than the usual ones.

The Sigil wasn’t sure who thought about this idea, nor did she understand why Jack thought she was the perfect fit for this mission, but the purpose behind throwing this ball was absurd.

_I get that I am skilled with a sword, but me in a sword fighting competition? Also a masked tournament?_

The Sigil was dressed in a long, light blue robe with white snowflakes decorated on her shoulders. A belt that was a darker shade of light blue tied around her midsection, closing her robe to cover over her glittery, white long-sleeve and tights. Her back was slightly exposed, showing the white, long sleeve. Although, a light-blue, transparent-like glimmering cape adorned her back.

The attire that the undercover Sigil wore was somewhat similar to what she would usually wear as a Sigil. In her Sigil form, underneath the black cloak, Elsa would wear a white long-sleeve and white tights that had more intricate designs. Instead of her usual white sandals, Elsa wore light blue colored boots. Another thing that stayed constant was her sword with the snowflake guard that hung loosely around her waist in its sheath.

But at this current moment, she wasn’t the Sigil of Arendelle. She was someone who was going to be competing at Arendelle’s first sword fighting competition, which explains why she was currently at a masquerade ball.

The Kingdom, whether or not it was Queen Anna’s or the Board’s idea, thought that it would be best to hold a masquerade ball to welcome those who would compete in the competition. The sole purpose of the competition, besides glory and fame, was a large reward of money and the opportunity to take up a higher role in Arendelle.

Elsa had read through the rules and expectations of the competition: competitors would go through a series of rounds of sword fighting and combat with social events intermixed within. Due to Arendelle’s reputation of having an infatuation with masquerade balls, they thought it would be a clever idea to not only hold a masquerade ball for the competitors, but to also have the competitors hide their identity behind a mask. Competitors should keep their identity hidden and wear their mask at all possible times. The only time that they can unveil themselves and take off their mask is if they were to lose the competition. The mask that Elsa would adorn for the rest of the competition was a navy-blue mask with snowflakes decorated about.

The Sigil sighed, her blue eyes scanning the ballroom before it finally found its target. Her eyes landed on a woman who was only a few inches shorter than her. The woman had the brightest, teal eyes and short, black hair. She wore a light green dress that puffed at the ends. The top part of her dress was a shade of black with an intricate flower design while her shoulders were exposed, loose straps of dark green hugged around her bicep to hold the dress up. She wore a simple, black lace mask.

The said woman danced with each and every person, song after song. The Sigil, who was watching at the top level, released the tenth despondent sigh of the night.

She knew exactly who the black-haired girl was.

Her dance movements were slightly different, but they were still the same as before. The way she danced with each person always changed based on their dancing style, but her own movements were more refined than what Elsa typically knew of.

Queen Anna had a tendency to always dress up in a way where no one would be able to identify who she was. Even with the help of a mask, the sovereign of Arendelle went the extra length by typically wearing a wig. At the end of the night, Queen Anna would take off her wig and show her true self, thanking those who attended the ball. The reasoning behind why she dressed up to hide her identity was to avoid those who would typically seek for her during these balls.

_Maybe that’s why Arendelle loves their masquerade balls so much._

Elsa was able to catch sight of Anna’s outfit for tonight a few hours before the preparation of the ball, after her registration to the competition and checking in to her room. One of her ice bugs slipped in the room that Anna would prepare herself in, surveying and collecting information of the Queen’s attire. Additionally, her information was only confirmed by the maids of the castle and intel from headquarters.

The Sigil turned around, released another sigh and ran a hand through her cascading, platinum-blonde locks, pushing the wisps of her bangs back.

_She should be fine and safe; there are too many people at this ball for anything bad to happen. Besides, I have eyes from all corners of the room._

With that, the undercover Sigil departed from the ball room and entered into the halls of the Arendelle castle. She didn’t know why, but she knew that she needed to get out of there. Maybe it was because she dreaded dances, or maybe it was because she couldn’t stand the sight of Anna dancing with another person.

Nonetheless, Elsa walked through the halls of Arendelle, her feet carrying her forward down a familiar route. The further she walked, the less people there were in the halls until she had reached a door at the end of the hall in the East Wing of the castle.

The Sigil opened the door and slipped inside the room. When she closed the door and turned her full attention to the room she had slipped into, she felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her. The beanbags that were to her left were still in its ruffled state. The chair behind the simple desk ahead of her still looked as it did five years ago. The bookshelves behind the chair were still filled with a variety of books, and the balcony on the left side of the room did not have any curtains casted over it, providing Elsa with a view of the city lights through the glass of the double doors.

Elsa’s feet carried her over towards the bookshelves behind the chair. On the way, her fingertips grazed over the top of the table and on the edges of the chair before she stood in front of the shelves. Her long, slender fingers reached forward hesitantly before pausing a few centimeters away from the spine of a random book.

Her blue eyes, underneath the snowflake mask, scanned the spines of the books on the shelves.

_Abergon, Acert, Azul, Banner_

Elsa eyes continued to focus on the spines of the books, her fingers grazing over each and every spine. She took small steps, moving herself from one end of the bookshelf to the other, from left to right, until she reached the last book.

_Yvone, Zazie, Zunk_

The Sigil retracted her trembling fingers away while a small frown made its way towards her lips. The organ in her chest shattered and ached.

_She’s kept the books in alphabetical order by last name this entire time. She hates going through the effort to organize it this way._

The blonde released another sigh. Her hand fell to her side and Elsa turned to face the balcony doors.

_Some fresh air wouldn’t hurt._

Elsa walked over to the balcony door, swinging it open and feeling the cool breeze of the night infiltrate into the room. Although, the cold never bothered the Sigil, and so, her body didn’t shiver when the wind came into contact with her skin.

The Sigil stepped forward so that she was now fully outside of the study. She looked out into the lights of the Kingdom. Even though there was a masquerade ball occurring within the castle, life still glowed in the streets of the Kingdom. From her position, Elsa could see the soft glow and bustling activity in the town square.

The platinum-blonde girl tilted her head upwards, her cerulean blue eyes looking up at sky, admiring the shinning stars. At this current spot she was standing in, she wondered if there were occurrences in the past five years where Anna would simply step out onto the balcony of their study. She wondered if Anna would look up at the sky, admiring the stars and the moon and think about her, just how Elsa had done so every night for the past five years.

_I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you, my love._

The sound of a door opening and closing snapped the Sigil out of her trance. Elsa quickly turned around to see a woman wearing a long, elegant red dress with a slit that reached to the middle of her thigh. The woman had auburn hair that flowed down to the middle of her back and a fairly slim figure for her height of being few inches shorter than the Sigil. The woman wore two-inch black heels and a black mask that had white specs scattered across.

What struck Elsa was the fact that the girl was looking at her with her teal eyes the size of saucers, as if the woman wasn’t expecting anyone to be here.

“How did you get in here?” the woman asked, still staring at Elsa.

Elsa tilted her head to the side in confusion. “What do you mean?”

The woman opened her mouth, about to say something, before she closed it. The newcomer stayed silent for a couple of seconds until she replied. “Well, I had to dodge a few guards to get to this side of the castle.”

Elsa’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “I didn’t really see any guards when I came here.”

The woman only nodded her head before releasing a breath. “Lucky for you. Thankfully enough, I didn’t get caught by them.”

Elsa spared a girl another glance before turning around and focusing her attention back to the Kingdom of Arendelle.

What the Sigil didn’t expect was the sound of footsteps approaching her; what the Sigil didn’t expect was a presence nearby and the scent of strawberries flood her senses; what the Sigil didn’t expect was the woman to stand next to her, leaning her forearms onto the rail of the balcony before sighing and looking out into the distance.

“What brings you here?”

Elsa’s blue eyes glanced at the girl, who had her attention focused onto the city lights of Arendelle. With a closer look, she noticed how the woman’s mask had white specs that represented the stars in the sky. The Sigil turned her attention back to the Kingdom, her eyes focusing on the town square.

“Dances and balls aren’t my thing.”

“That’s ironic considering that you seemed to be dressed up for this one.”

Elsa rolled her eyes. “I could say the same for you.”

The woman released a small, angelic giggle. “I didn’t say that balls and dances were not my thing. It’s just good to get some space away from it, you know?”

Silence lingered in the air. Elsa wasn’t planning on continuing the conversation with this stranger, so she stayed silent. She continued to look at the town square, feeling a wave of light nostalgia hit her.

“I don’t know if you would understand since I don’t know your status, but it’s kind of draining to be watched under those who expect so much from you. Expecting you to dance with each person, to try and seek a potential partner.”

_Maybe talking to this stranger would help me tame my feeling._

Elsa chuckled. “You part of a royal family or something?”

The woman nodded her head. “I’m the youngest daughter of the Jupiter family.”

_Ah yes, the Jupiter family. They’re one of the highest noble families that serve on the board in the Kingdom of Exousia. The description of the woman in front of me does match that of the youngest daughter of the family._

The Sigil decided to continue the conversation with her worldly knowledge. “How’s your older brother, Hercules, doing?”

The woman released an angelic laugh. “Well, he basically has his life set already. He’s going to marry Meg, the Princess of Exousia. I would say that his situation has placed even more pressure onto me finding a suitor.”

“He’s not in the competition?”

The woman shook her head. “There’s no reason to considering that he will become King of Exousia. Besides, if he were to join, he would automatically win the competition – Queen Anna does have strong ties with the Kingdom of Exousia.”

The mention of her lover had increased Elsa’s interest in the conversation. “Have you met Queen Anna before?”

“A couple of times. The second time was a couple of days before the masquerade ball. She seems a bit stressed and uptight.”

“Well, she has been through a lot.” Elsa was quick to defend.

“I guess, but her demeanor at times shouldn’t be justified because of her rough past.”

Elsa did not like how this girl was talking down on Anna. The idea left an unsettling feeling in the pit of the Sigil’s stomach. “You don’t know that.” She turned her full attention towards the young Jupiter, who was still gazing out at the horizon. “You don’t know anything about her or what she has gone through. She had to become Queen after she lost her parents in that storm six months ago, but you don’t know anything beyond that. Maybe you shouldn’t jump to conclusions, especially considering that you only met her twice.”

The woman stayed silent. The young Jupiter’s façade didn’t change. Elsa released a huff out of frustration before focusing back onto the town square.

“You seem to be very defensive of Queen Anna, considering that you probably are on the same boat as me. In fact, you aren’t on the same boat as me because you probably have never spoken a word to the sovereign before.”

Elsa could feel her teal eyes piercing into her own soul, but it didn’t faze her at all. Instead of meeting the gaze of the woman, Elsa continued to look at the town square.

“Fine. I’m sorry, okay? I shouldn’t be so quick in jumping to conclusions, but you shouldn’t be so quick in defending someone as well.”

Elsa didn’t accept nor deny the apology.

The younger girl sighed and shifted her gaze back to the Kingdom. A few minutes of silence occurred between them. Elsa wasn’t planning on starting the conversation up again, but the youngest Jupiter did. “Arendelle is beautiful, isn’t it?”

Elsa stayed silent. The young Jupiter took Elsa’s silence as a sign to continue. “Each night I’ve been here, the city still looks as beautiful as it can be. Even though there is a ball being held, there are still citizens out there just living their lives so carefree, so unrestrained. They all seem so happy.”

“The city looks beautiful with the strung-up fairy lights around the Kingdom and town square, don’t you think?” The young Jupiter concluded.

From the mention of that, an image flashed in Elsa’s mind. An image of a girl with strawberry-blonde hair in twin braids, gazing back at her with a dopey smile while the fairy lights were strung around the town square. Everything behind the girl was out of focus, and she was in the center of it all. An image that Elsa had a physical picture of – an image that she always, and still does, keep close to her.

Her heart clenched at the thought of her and all the missed years.

_Stop. You can’t show weakness, especially in front of someone._

Elsa decided looked up at the sky instead, finding comfort and solace in the stars. Elsa felt the gaze of the woman move elsewhere. ”You admire the stars too?”

Elsa couldn’t read the girl’s motives. One second, she seemed defensive and hostile towards the Sigil being here, the next, she seemed to try and be lighthearted before discussing about her distaste for the Queen of Arendelle.

“I guess you could say that.” Elsa decided to reply. _It would be good to grab more intel on this girl. Who knows, she could be a potential threat to Anna._

“Why?”

It was a simple question that Elsa was able to easily answer. The Sigil immediately gave her response. “It provides light and illuminates the sky. It’s pretty, beautiful and expands throughout the horizon no matter where you are. You could be seeing the same star as someone else that is three thousand miles away. It gives me a sense of comfort, connecting people that may not always be physically next to me.”

The woman nodded her head. “Something tells me that you’re not from Arendelle. Who do you think about when you look up at the stars?”

When the woman asked that question, the first person that came into mind was a girl with strawberry blonde hair tied into twin braids and bright, teal eyes. Instead of speaking about a single person, Elsa decided to answer. “I think of my second family.”

“Second family?”

Deciding not to disclose anymore, Elsa replied with a one worded answer.

“Yep.”

“Interesting.” A silence perpetrated the room again. It was only a few seconds before the woman spoke again. “Are you planning on going back down for the midnight reveal?”

_Of course, the midnight reveal._

To top off the masquerade ball night and begin the grand sword fighting competition, Queen Anna was planning to reveal herself at the strike of midnight in front of all those in the ballroom. The Queen would introduce herself, welcome those who were here for the tournament and ask everyone else to wish the competitors best of luck by taking off their own masks, leaving those who are competing in the tournament to still have their identity hidden. Once the masks were down, fireworks would be displayed above the castle of the Kingdom, signaling the start of the tournament.

“Most likely not.” And it was true. Elsa didn’t plan on going to the unveiling, believing that it was too cheesy for one thing.

For another thing, she didn’t know if she could hold herself back from all those who would drool after the Queen.

It was fucked up of Elsa to think that way, and she knew it as well. Elsa was the one that had let go of their love, Elsa was the one that had given up, Elsa was the one that had chosen to become a Sigil. The Sigil had no right to being possessive over Anna. If anything, she deserved to endure the hurt.

“Why not?”

Elsa only shrugged her shoulders.

The woman’s teal eyes looked back at Elsa. When she knew that Elsa wasn’t going to reply, the woman decided to fill in the empty space instead. “It would be cool to be able to see the midnight reveal, don’t you think?”

“What’s the point of going to the midnight reveal if I haven’t interacted with anyone else in the ballroom?”

The woman withdrew her forearms away from the rail, tapping her chin with her pointer finger. Her teal eyes looked up in thought. “True, but I have to go.”

“Because of your parents?”

“Expectations is a bitch, isn’t it?”

Elsa only laughed at the girl’s response. The reaction that the woman had received from Elsa made the woman’s lips curve upward in a smile, her teal eyes glowing brightly, feeling accomplished in fishing out a laugh from the stranger.

“Plus, I have to be there to line up with the Queen. I’m one of the few girls that would have to line up with the Queen to do the mask unveiling.”

“That’s dumb.”

The woman with the starry mask shrugged her shoulders. “I guess it’s just to build more hype to it. Furthermore, it would be anticlimactic for Queen Anna to be the only one on stage to reveal herself, don’t you think? Besides, Queen Anna has a reputation to be always wearing wigs in these functions.”

“Makes sense.”

The woman took a step back. “I should get going.” Her teal eyes still focused onto Elsa, who was still gazing up at the sky. “Maybe you could consider going? I would love to know what you look like under that mask. My conversation with you is one of the few, normal ones that I enjoyed.”

“We barely spoke.” Elsa chuckled.

“It may seem like a pathetic conversation to you but considering my status as the youngest daughter of the Jupiter family, conversations I have with other people aren’t always genuine. I enjoyed our authentic conversation.”

“You must have low expectations.”

“You can’t really set high expectations nowadays. If you do, for the most part, your expectations may not be met if they’re too high, and you’ll just be left with disappointment.”

“True, but you shouldn’t lower your expectations because others can’t meet them.”

Another silence for the night. A silence of contemplation, thought and evaluation for the young Jupiter. “You make a good point.” The woman smiled. “Please consider coming to the midnight reveal.”

Elsa didn’t reply, but the woman didn’t expect her to give her an answer in regard to her attendance to the midnight reveal.

“If I don’t see or talk to you during or after the midnight reveal, would you give me the honor to at least know your name? I would like to know who I enjoyed talking to when looking back at how I had ditched the masquerade ball.”

Elsa decided to answer the girl, knowing that her name would be revealed in the future anyways. She was confident that her performance during the tournament would have her name be echoed far and wide. “My name is Elena Snow.”

The woman nodded her head, offering the Sigil another smile. “It was nice talking to you, Elena. Have a good night.” With that, the woman left the balcony and strode towards the door that led to the entrance of the castle halls.

When Elsa heard the door open and close, she released a small breath before looking up at the sky.

_It wouldn’t hurt to have an ally, especially if she is the youngest daughter of the Jupiter family. It would help to get more intel on Arendelle, the other competitors and the Queen herself._

_I need to talk to Anna, but only for intel on the other competitors and to get on her good side. I can’t do anything beyond that… who knows if I can control my feelings._

Elsa sighed. _Even after all these years, I can never stop thinking about you._

The Sigil looked down at her disguised, undercover watch to notice that there was only five minutes before the midnight reveal. She had to decide now whether or not she would attend.

_I need an ally anyways… also, maybe my attendance will be needed just in case someone attacks during the reveal._

The Sigil seemed to have an answer in mind. Admiring the stars in the sky one last time, the Sigil turned around and exited out of the balcony area. Elsa closed the balcony doors and strode towards the exit of the study.

Elsa advanced back towards the ballroom. When the Sigil arrived, there was already a group of women lining up at the front of the ballroom. Deciding to get a better view, and to also avoid the crowd at the ground level, the Sigil ascended the stairs to the second floor. The second floor had a few people who were still conversing with each other or preparing for the midnight reveal.

The blonde was able to position herself on the right side of the second level. The area that she stood lacked a bit of light, casting a small shadow across her face to anyone that was looking in her direction. Even though it was a secluded corner, those who would look up and focus could still make out her distinct features, such as her mask and blue eyes.

The women lined up across the front. The woman with the teal eyes and black hair stood in the center of the line. Elsa had kept an eye on her throughout the entire night, watching as she danced from partner to partner. Even though it hurt, Elsa had to remember the reason behind her presence in Arendelle and the main objective behind her mission.

Her blue eyes scanned the line of women before it landed on the youngest daughter of the Jupiter family. She stood second to the last on the left side of the line. Her teal eyes were frantically scanning the ballroom as if she was searching for someone. Elsa had to admit, her conversation with the youngest Jupiter had helped distract her from the thought of Anna dancing with everyone else throughout the night.

The youngest Jupiter stopped scanning the ballroom when her teal eyes landed onto Elsa’s figure in the corner of the ballroom. Teal locked onto blue while the woman’s lips curved upward in a small smile. The youngest Jupiter created a small, subtle motion with her hand, trying to wave in a form of greeting to Elsa.

Elsa only rolled her blues, releasing a small chuckle at the woman’s behavior. The youngest Jupiter’s gaze never left the Sigils, even when an elderly man stood in front of the line of women, announcing the midnight reveal. The woman’s gaze never broke away from Elsa’s while each of them had simultaneously reached their hands up to the sides of their mask. Her gaze never broke as they all removed the masks from their face.

The woman’s gaze didn’t break as Elsa’s heart seemed to have stop in her chest. The woman’s gaze didn’t stray from Elsa’s as she stepped forward.

Their eye contact only broke when the woman’s teal eyes scanned the crowd, offering everyone a small smile.

“Welcome everyone, and thank you for attending the masquerade ball.”

Anna.

Elsa wasn’t talking to the youngest child of the Jupiter family. She wasn’t watching the Queen of Arendelle dance throughout the night. She was talking to the Queen of Arendelle throughout the night.

She was in the study with Queen Anna only fifteen minutes ago.

And when those teal eyes landed back onto her own blue ones, she heard Anna’s voice echo in the ballroom.

“To those who are not competing, please reveal yourself to respect the competitors and show everyone those who will be partaking in the tournament.”

With that, most of the occupants in the ballroom had reached up to take their mask off. Even throughout this entire process, Anna had kept her gaze onto Elsa. When everyone except the competitors had taken off their mask, Anna’s eyebrows furrowed together for a brief moment before a smirk had made its way towards her lips.

“Welcome competitors.” Anna’s teal eyes still locked onto Elsa’s masked figure. “I wish you the best of luck in the upcoming tournament. Please remember to go to registration tomorrow morning before you start your first round in the forest. I look forward to talking to each and every one of you in the future.”

As the crowd looked to acknowledge the competitors, as the entire ballroom applauded and even as some of Queen Anna’s trusted advisors approached her, the teal eyes of her lover never broke away from Elsa.

It was only when the Queen of Arendelle had started walking towards the opposite end of the ballroom was when Elsa felt her heart rate pick up.

_I need to get out of here._

The Sigil dashed towards the staircase, taking steps down until she reached the bottom floor. She was about to turn left, to bolt out of the ballroom when she had come face to face with Queen Anna.

There the sovereign stood, her unmasked face and teal eyes studying Elsa. Instead of a black mask with stars, the stars were replaced by freckles on Anna’s smooth complexion. The Queen offered Elsa a small smile.

“Elena, you must be heading out.”

Elsa’s blue eyes blinked behind her mask while Anna’s teal eyes continued to study the girl.

“Y-Yeah.”

_Damnit, I shouldn’t be stuttering!_

“I wish you the best of luck, Elena. I look forward to your performance in the tournament.”

Without even bidding a goodbye to the Queen in front of everyone, something that Elsa would chide herself for later, the competitor slipped to the left and out of the ballroom. Through her escape, teal eyes continued to follow the exiting competitor.


	21. Shattered Walls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being patient! Here's a long chapter ahead of us

_Anna released a large yawn, stretching her body and smacking her lips together. She fluttered her eyes open to be met with her mother’s glare. The young Princess replied by sticking her tongue out._

_Before her mother could chide her, a voice rung through the air._

_“Anna.”_

_The teenage Princess turned towards the sound of the voice, her sleepy, teal eyes meeting the awakened yet admonishing blue ones._

_Elsa, wearing her light-blue long sleeve and black tights, held two small plates of food. One was filled with chocolate pastries and the other had fruit._

_The Princess’s eyes lit up as she tossed herself forward towards the Protector. Elsa stumbled slightly backwards at the impact, making sure that not a single piece of food had fallen off the plates but still maintained her footing._

_“Morning.” Anna mumbled in the girl’s neck, wrapping her arms around Elsa’s waist and keeping her close._

_Elsa, who couldn’t stay remotely mad at Anna, released a light laugh. “Good morning.”_

_Anna pulled away from Elsa but still kept her hold on the Protector – her arms loosely wrapped around Elsa’s waist._

_“Do we have to be here?” the young girl started to pout._

_“Yes, we do. This is good networking for you.” Elsa replied. “Speaking of which, you should really cover your mouth when you yawn.”_

_“Nope.”_

_Elsa raised her eyebrow at the girl. “And why not?”_

_“Because I don’t care about what other people think.”_

_“Anna, you’re the crown Princess.” Elsa started. The redhead immediately cut her off._

_“Nope, people will like me for who I am and take me as I am. The only person’s opinion I care about is yours.”_

_Anna’s comment caused Elsa’s cheeks to flush a deep red. The Protector looked away, trying to play it cool and pretend that Anna didn’t have that effect on her._

_Anna, on the other hand, smirked at the reaction she got from her long-time crush._

_“So cute.” Anna thought, admiring her best friend’s appearance. Even though it was an ungodly hour in the morning, Elsa still looked as pristine and beautiful as she did._

_The Princess stepped back, seeing Elsa pull the plates of food to her after she had to extend her arms when Anna had assaulted her. The younger girl picked off a strawberry from one of the plates and hovered it over her Protector’s lips._

_“Say ahh!”_

_This caused her Protector’s blue eyes to turn towards Anna’s._

_“An-“_

_Anna brought the strawberry into her Protector’s mouth. “Eat.”_

_Elsa rolled her eyes, taking a bite from the strawberry. Anna pulled her hand away and watched Elsa chew and swallow the strawberry before she spoke._

_“You should eat too.”_

_“No worries, I will!” Anna affirmed. The Princess maintained eye contact with her Protector. Slowly, she brought the half-eaten strawberry up to her lips and finished it._

_Elsa gaze shifted from Anna’s teal eyes to her lips, watching as the young Princess finished her strawberry. Anna watched as Elsa’s bottom lip came inward, how her blue eyes were focusing onto Anna’s lips. Anna’s body started to heat up and her face started to feel a bit flush._

_To fix the situation, Anna playfully reached forward for a chocolate croissant and took a bite of it._

_“Thank you.”_

* * *

Elsa released another yawn, covering her mouth with the back of her right hand. In her left hand, the Sigil held a small plate full of fruits and a croissant. The sounds of muddled conversation bounced within the walls of the ballroom. On the edges of the ballroom were tables full of food, giving access to those who were occupied in the ballroom to grab breakfast buffet style.

People were coming in and out of the ballroom in rounds. Advisors and volunteers would call in for the next batch while a group of masked individuals had entered into the ballroom.

Elsa decided to make her home in the corner of the ballroom on the second floor, watching as her fellow competitors conversed with one another. On the opposite corner of herself, on the ground floor, a glowing star was talking with competitor after competitor.

Queen Anna was dressed in one of her two, usual attires. The sovereign wore black boots with intricate, brown designs that gave off the Kingdom of Arendelle’s theme. Barely peeking under her black, long-sleeve dress, which had bronze shade designs similar to those of her boots, was brown breeches that hug to the Queen’s legs as if it was a second skin. Her dress covered up to her neck, the color of the fabric above her chest and to her neck was an orange shade. A brown sash wrapped around her midsection and to finish off her outfit, the young Queen wore a purple and pink shawl-like coat.

The Queen had her hair in her signature hairstyle: her hair down with bangs swept to the side and a small braid wrapped around the back of her cascading hair. The sovereign had a small plate of her own food in one hand and the other to her side, talking to competitors that were constantly approaching her.

Elsa sighed, leaning her body against the wall. Her eyes swept across the competitors once more.

On the far-right corner was a group of men she was familiar with.

_Southern Isles Princes._

All of the Southern Isles Princes except for eldest were dressed in masks and flashy clothing. Elsa could tell from a mile away who they were.

Her icy blue eyes continued to study the competitors in the room. There were some formidable opponents that did build a reputation in their kingdom or region but nothing that Elsa couldn’t handle. Her eyes continued to scan the room until it landed on a man with luscious, long jet-black hair and blue eyes. The man wore a red tunic, black pants and brown leather boots. He had a sword with a red handle equipped on his brown belt. He wore a plain, mustard-yellow mask.

Elsa was pretty sure that the size of his bicep was as big, or possibly even bigger, than the Sigil’s waist.

_Gaston, first competitor. Sharp shooter_

_His sharp shooting skills aren’t going to get him far if he can’t even pass the sword combat rounds._

During registration, Elsa was told that they made some adjustments to the competition. They believed that sword-fighting may not always be ideal, and that the Queen’s Protector should be skilled in weapons besides just a sword. Although, a sword was a weapon that was common and somehow, for the most part, usually accessible. After the first few rounds, the competition would transition to that of just weapons and battles.

Gaston was talking to a few other men; his annoying laughter being heard from miles away as he continued to guffaw and laugh at the fact that he was going against a female. The man continued to tease, saying that he would go easy and that he was a “lady’s man” after all.

Elsa rolled her blue eyes at his stupidity and cockiness.

Elsa can say that she had very perceptive and observant skills. And so, in the midst, of her investigation in the competitors, she heard a voice appear to her left.

“Hey!”

The Sigil quickly turned to her left to see a man with jet-black hair and sky-blue eyes. He wore a white wifebeater, navy blue pants and a red belt. He was fairly on the slimmer-tone side.

_Not as huge as Gaston._

The man had a sword attached to his red belt, and his soft eyes kindly gazed at the Sigil underneath his golden mask.

“Uhm… hi?” Elsa replied, her eyebrows furrowing and crinkling upward in confusion.

The man gave her a cheeky smile before sticking his hand out. “Name’s Eric.”

Elsa stared at the hand before looking back at Eric. Her blue eyes looked between the two for another second before the Sigil turned her attention back to the ball.

Eric stood there, looking between the Sigil and his hand before retracting it. The man didn’t leave, but instead, stood next to the Sigil and peered down at the ballroom.

“So, tell me a bit more about yourself.”

The blonde stayed silent and continued to survey the competitors on the ground floor.

Eric sighed, leaning his forearms against the rail as he looked at the competitors as well.

“You not much of a talker?”

Elsa’s blue eyes couldn’t help but gravitate towards the corner of the room where Queen Anna stood. The sovereign was still talking to competitor after competitor, but there was a new, familiar additional person to her side.

The man had scruffy, dirty blonde hair and tired, brown eyes. His attire never changed over the years; he still wore those brown leather pants, a brown tunic beneath his black, leather vest and pointed leather boots. He still had baby cheeks, but the results of his training over the years definitely showed in his physique.

“Ah, the Queen of Arendelle. You swing that way?”

Elsa quickly turned towards the man with wide eyes, who only looked at her with a goofy grin.

“Don’t worry, I won’t judge. Queen Anna is breathtaking being after all. Kinda sorta my type too.”

At that moment, Elsa wanted to rip his throat out.

“There’s just something about redheads, you feel?” Eric’s grin stayed while Elsa’s eyes narrowed at the man.

_I’m gonna rip out your –_

“Jeez, calm down.” The blue-eyed man laughed as he turned his attention back to the ground level. “I can tell that you must have a huge crush on the Queen. Don’t worry, I won’t go after her. I’m only here to win the competition for the prize money. I’ll possibly consider the position.”

Elsa sighed, turning her attention back to the Queen. Kristoff was leaning against the wall, watching as Anna continued to converse with competitor after competitor. Although, Elsa could tell that her attention wasn’t fully on the competitors.

Every few seconds, while the men were talking, the Queen would have her teal eyes dart away behind them. It wasn’t always on the same spot, but she continuously would dart her eyes away from the speaker.

It was only when teal eyes shifted to meet blue that her darting eyes had stopped. Instead, Anna kept her gaze onto the undercover Sigil while the competitors continuously showered her with attention and compliments. Kristoff, who was dozing off, had snapped out of his trance and noticed Anna’s gaze. His brown eyes followed Anna’s gaze until it was also focused on the undercover Sigil on the second floor.

The competitor that she was discussing with had bowed and walked away. Anna, on the other hand, said a few words to him but kept her gaze on the second floor. Before the next competitor could come and talk to her, the Queen leaned towards Kristoff, mumbling a few words to him before departing from the corner of the ballroom and towards the buffet table.

“Huh, it seems like you have also captured the Queen’s interest.” Eric noted, his blue eyes turning to the Sigil.

Elsa didn’t respond, keeping her eyes solely focused on the moving Queen.

Eric sighed at his unrespondent friend. “I guess I’ll have to take matters in my own hands.” With that, the man finally left Elsa’s side and headed downstairs.

The Sigil emitted a breath of release.

_What was his deal._

Elsa’s blue eyes looked down at the ground, spotting Eric’s jet-black air approaching towards the buffet table where the Queen was currently picking up a chocolate croissant. Elsa’s head tilted to the side as she watched Eric tap on the Queen’s shoulder.

Anna turned around, her eyes wide and tired as Eric gave her a charming smile and started talking. Elsa tried to decipher what the man was saying and was only able to understand his motives when he saw his hand point towards her direction.

Teal eyes met widen, blue ones. Elsa quickly looked away, trying to play off the fact that she was staring at the Queen and Eric. While she tried to keep her gaze elsewhere, Elsa knew that Anna was staring straight at the Sigil.

The sound of a man’s voice booming through the ballroom had caught everyone’s attention. All eyes turned towards the front of the ballroom, where Kristoff stood in front of the throne with his hands to his side.

“Welcome competitors. My name is Kristoff Winters and I am the Captain of the Royal Guard.”

_He omitted the fact that he was Anna’s Protector…_

“We are going to start the first round of events. As mentioned in the itinerary, the first round will span over the length of three days in the forest. There are allotted areas where duels will be held for best of five. There are five time slots for today which are separated in two-hour increments. You will be facing your set opponent in a best of five over the next three days. If you win two of the three days against the same opponent, you move on to the next round. Those who will be competing at 9 o’clock, please follow the guards to the forest where we will settle you in your first round. From there, those who have duels later in the day, please meet in at the start of the forest on the pathway that leads to the city at your exact assigned time. You are free to explore the castle, explore the city, explore the Kingdom or watch the other battles.”

With that, a fifth of the competitors started to depart towards the exit. Kristoff hopped off from the ledge at the front of the ballroom and advanced his way over to Anna, who was still in a conversation with Eric.

Kristoff leaned forward, talking to the Queen in a hushed manner. From where Elsa, stood, she can see how Anna only nodded her head, rolling her eyes and pointing towards the exit.

The youngest Winters sighed, nodding his head before heading towards the exit of the ballroom.

Once the Captain had left, Eric gave the Queen a small bow before offering his arm for Anna. When Elsa saw the Queen giggle and link arms with the man, she felt her blood boil. Elsa gritted her teeth as Eric had led the Queen towards the back of the ballroom, out of sight and right below the second floor.

Elsa sighed, running a hand through her platinum-blonde tresses. The start of her round wasn’t until 1 pm, giving the Sigil ample time to do whatever she pleased.

_Maybe I should go around the castle and get some intel? Or possibly scout out the other competitors to spot out any threats? Maybe show Olaf around the Kingdom…_

Elsa started to contemplate what she would do with her remaining time and thought back to how her wolf was doing in the room that she was currently staying in. There were a couple of inns and lodges that were reserved for the competitors to stay in. Once the number of competitors dwindled down, those who were still a part of the competition would move into the castle until they would lose.

“Elena.”

The sound of an angelic voice caused the Sigil to quickly turn around. She was met to face 8 the Queen, who had her arms to her side. Eric, who stood slightly behind the Queen, gave Elsa a goofy grin and a thumbs up.

“Your Majesty.” Elsa greeted; her voice unwavering as she bowed her head slightly.

Her teal eyes studied the Sigil. The Queen took a small step forward. “Are you ready for your match?”

Elsa attempted to take a small, but unnoticeable, step back, only to realize that she was leaning against the railing of the second floor.

“My match isn’t at 9.”

“It’s at 1, correct?”

Elsa stood in her spot, her eyes looking deep into those teal ones that were piquing with curiosity, as if she wanted to learn and unravel more about the competitor.

“Yes, it is at one.”

The Queen nodded her head. “Very well. I should get going, but I just wanted to swing by to say hi.” Anna turned towards Eric and offered him a smirk. “It was nice meeting you as well, Eric.”

The Queen turned around, her pink-purple coat fluttering slightly at her turn before she headed towards the stairs and descended down.

Once the Queen was out of sight, Elsa glared at the boy.

“What the hell was that?” Elsa hissed from where she stood.

Eric shrugged his shoulders. “I figured that you needed a little push. I was your wingman and helped you talk to the Queen at least, and it’s not like she seemed reluctant about it either.”

“Well back off and leave me alone.” Elsa growled, pushing off from the rail and walking past Eric. The man stood, turning around to watch the retreating figure.

“See you later!”

Elsa sighed, hopping down the stairs until she reached the ground level.

_Odd man._

There were still lingering competitors conversing in the ballroom, but for the most part, everyone had left the ballroom to do their own thing.

_Maybe I should grab Olaf and watch the competitors. Scope out any threats and any finalists._

With that plan in mind, the Sigil headed back towards her inn to grab her partner.

* * *

Elsa walked about the forest, passing by plots of land that were surrounded by wooden stakes. Within each set of stakes were two people dueling against each other. People would turn their attention when Elsa would pass by with her huge, white wolf.

Olaf, instead of being in a mask, was exposed in his pure form. The wolf was walking alongside his partner, his snout sniffing the ground with each step that they took.

The Sigil had fifteen more minutes before she had to report to the front of the forest. From what she had seen, there wasn’t anyone that was eye-opening to her.

That was until she came to the duel nearest to the front of the forest.

There Eric stood, smiling brightly at the tired man that he was dueling against. The opponent, who was heaving for breath with his hands on his knees. His short, brown hair, matted against his face from sweat while his brown eyes drooped tiredly on top of his round, big nose. He had a tanned skin tone and a fair, upper body build.

Eric smiled down at the man, looking pristine and still full of energy.

“Good fight!” His voice was jubilant and happy.

The man only looked up, his facial expression and body exuding exhaustion.

“How did you?...”

“My fighting style is heavily reliant on reading body language.” He grinned, offering his hand. “I was able to pick it up after a few jabs.”

The man looked at Eric’s hand before trying to stand up on his own.

“See you tomorrow.” He said before limping off of the battlefield.

Eric turned around, his blue eyes landing on his newfound friend. The man’s grin expanded. He jogged his way over to the Sigil.

Olaf’s hazel eyes narrowed aggressively at the newcomer. The wolf bared its teeth and released a growl when Eric had arrived in front of Elsa.

“Whoa, I won’t hurt your friend.” Eric said, his eyes slightly enlarged at the wolf’s hostile body language. Olaf continued to growl at the newcomer, its body hunched as it took a threatening step forward.

“Olaf.” Elsa chided. The wolf stopped its aggressive behavior and looked up at his partner. When Olaf saw Elsa’s scolding look, the wolf whimpered slightly and leaned on Elsa’s leg, as if it was asking for forgiveness.

“Huh, one second he wants to rip my head off and the next, he’s basically an adorable, harmless puppy like his master.” Eric said amusingly.

Elsa glared at the man, who only shrugged his shoulder and offered her another smile.

“You starting your round soon, Elena?”

“Yep.” Elsa decided to reply, knowing her lack of response wouldn’t stop the boy in front of her from continuing on his relentless discussion with her. Furthermore, if Elsa didn’t acknowledge the boy, she knew that Olaf would switch back to his protective mode.

“Cool! Maybe I’ll see you around.” Eric grinned before stepping to the side. “You should get to the meeting area now.”

Elsa inquisitively looked at the grinning boy. Eric used a large gesture towards the entrance of the forest. “Off you go!”

The Sigil sighed, shaking her head before walking past Eric and towards the entrance to the city. Olaf followed closely behind his master, trailing behind with his snout attached to the ground as the wolf continued to sniff forward.

* * *

Elsa was assigned to a field that was at the other end of the forest, isolated by trees and a far walk from the Kingdom. As she digressed deeper and deeper into the forest, there were less and less onlookers. Although, there were a lot more people on this side of the forest because Gaston had his entourage.

Which now led Elsa to her current position: standing on one side of the field with Gaston on the other. His entourage were laughing with one another as they joked and yelled at Gaston.

“Go easy on her!”

“Don’t hurt her now!”

Gaston played along as well, laughing, nodding his head and emphasizing how he was a gentleman.

Meanwhile, Eric and Olaf stood on the other side. Olaf sat with his head tilted to the side, confused as to why he was next to this stranger with his leash tied to a tree. Elsa never put Olaf on a leash.

On the other hand, Eric stood on the sidelines, cheering Elena on even before the match was going to start.

“You ready?” Gaston asked from the opposite end, taking out his sword and swinging it carelessly in the air.

Elsa nodded her head and took her sword out of its sheath. The blue-tinted steel glinted against the sunlight and the snowflake guard stood out in the dark color tones of the forest.

“I’ll go easy on you, don’t worry.” Gaston chuckled, positioning his sword in front of him as well.

Before the duel started, the sounds of gasps from Gaston’s entourage sounded in the air. The two competitors turned towards them to see all the men’s eyes bulge out of their sockets as they stared to their left. Gaston looked forward in that direction, his jaw dropping as well.

Elsa tilted her head to the side in confusion. The Sigil turned around to see Queen Anna walking over in her attire as before with Kristoff trailing behind. Teal met blue for the millionth time since Elsa had stepped foot onto the Kingdom as Elena.

The Queen navigated her line of direction so that she was walking towards Eric, her teal eyes shifting towards the man. Olaf, who was still tied to the tree, had his white tail wag excitedly at the newcomer, something which the wolf didn’t do at all.

Anna smiled down at Olaf, bending down to rub his head. The wolf leaned into the touch, closing its eyes and purring in content.

Gaston bowed his head down, and his entourage followed in suit with their leader.

“Queen Anna.” Anna’s teal eyes moved from Olaf to Gaston. “What brings you out here?”

Kristoff stood next to Olaf, who only glared at the youngest Winters, before trying to grab Anna’s attention again. Anna looked down at the wolf, laughing before rubbing the top of his head again. Elsa rolled her blue eyes.

“I’m just here to watch the tournament, that’s all.”

“Thank you for giving us your time and attention. I promise that I won’t hurt my competitor and will go easy on her – I am a gentleman after all.”

Elsa raised her eyebrow at the man, her sword still held up high. Gaston swung his sword carelessly again.

“Go Elena!” Eric cheered from the sidelines.

“Match begin.” One of the men yelled.

With that, Gaston surged forward with his sword. Elsa took a small step to the right as the man swung his sword down.

Elsa moved like lightning. In a blink of an eye, the Sigil swung her own sword downward against his, causing Gaston’s loose grip on his sword to slip out of his grip. The handle of his sword smacked him right between his eyes.

In one swift movement, Elsa angled her foot to kick away Gaston’s sword on the blunt side. The sword skidded away, and the Sigil positioned her sword so that it was right above Gaston’s neck. The latter was bent forward, his back and neck exposed to Elsa’s sword and herself.

Silence. Gaston’s entourage was quiet. The only sounds were the soft, distinct grunts of ongoing fights and Olaf’s growls as he tried to lunge towards Gaston.

“Always secure your sword.” Elsa said, retracting her own away and taking a step back from the man. Gaston immediately stood up, his eyes widened in both fear and shock as he stared at Elsa.

The Sigil walked towards Olaf, who was still growling menacingly at Gaston. Kristoff and Anna stood there with eyes wide while Eric only laughed at the scene.

Anna, who was still standing next to Olaf, watched as Elena had walked towards her. She felt adrenaline pump through her veins and her heart beat loudly against her chest as Elena advanced her way towards her.

Anna’s teal eyes didn’t directly come into contact with blue. Instead, those blue eyes were focused to the right of Anna and a bit lower in elevation. Elena stood in front of Anna and to the right. The redhead wasn’t sure what to say or do, and she was in awe at how Elena had quickly won that round.

Elsa bent down so that her blue eyes were looking at Olaf’s threatening form. Her white, gloved hand reached forward towards the growling wolf. When Olaf’s hazel eyes shifted from Gaston to Elsa, the wolf immediately stopped his intimidation and gazed at its master in confusion.

Elsa reached her hand forward to pet the wolf on its head. Olaf’s tail started wagging excitedly once again at the attention it was given from its partner.

“No growling, Olaf. This is just a competition, okay? I’m not going to get hurt.” Elsa’s gaze shifted towards Olaf’s leash, seeing that it was on its last few threads. “Down boy, ok?”

The wolf whimpered at Elsa’s command, taking it as a scolding. The Sigil shook her head, releasing a small laugh before standing up. Her blue eyes looked to meet the Queen’s teal ones that was staring at the interaction that unfolded. Anna’s flash flushed a light pink before the Queen looked away, trying to pretend as if she wasn’t caught staring.

The small, subtle action made Elsa’s heart soar.

_You’re not Elsa, remember?_

“Make sure he doesn’t maul Gaston, will ya?” Elsa’s velvety smooth voice directed towards the Queen. Anna looked back at the competitor, her face still flushed a light pink as the girl nodded her head.

“Thanks.” Elsa gave the Queen her award-winning, charming smile and wink, and the Sigil could have sworn that she saw Anna’s face flush a deeper red.

Without giving her the opportunity to reply, Elsa walked back towards the battlefield and withdrew her sword once again. Gaston, who was trying to recuperate, only nodded his head and held his sword up high. The man tried to play off his mistake.

“I was just going easy on you, but rest assured, it won’t happen again.”

“Match two, start!” A man in the crowd yelled.

This time, Gaston didn’t move from his position. He held his sword high and waited for Elsa to make a move.

“Ladies first.”

Elsa rolled her eyes, taking a step forward. Gaston still stayed in his position.

Elsa’s blue eyes casted over Gaston’s form, acknowledging his stance, his strong points and his weak points.

Once she received her information, the Sigil jabbed her sword forward. Gaston instantaneously blocked the attack. Elsa continued with another swift slash, and Gaston quickly followed in blocking it. A third strike and a third block.

Elsa continued with her quick, light slashes that didn’t expend as much energy as Gaston’s blocks. The Sigil was able to find an opening in his sword movements, positioning against the block so that the blade of Gaston’s sword shot upwards and his wrist twisted the wrong way due to his death-grip on the sword.

The man howled in pain, pulling away and looking down at his wrist. Elsa took the opportunity to swiftly move, and in a blink of an eye, positioned herself behind him with the tip of her sword to his back.

All eyes stared at the ongoing fight with wide eyes, blinking in both shock and astonishment at Elsa’s speed.

Olaf sat next to Anna, his tail wagging excitedly at the affection and attention he was being given by the Queen. The leash that was attached to the tree was ripped from the tension, but Queen Anna had held the broken leash in her hands.

Anna, who had stayed true to Elsa’s request, was currently petting Olaf and showing the wolf attention.

The Sigil stepped back and sheathed her sword again into her hilt. Without saying another word, Elsa walked past a stunned Gaston and back to her side of the arena.

All eyes focused on the Sigil, who turned around and looked at Gaston dead in the eye. The man’s eyes flashed with a look of determination.

Gaston chuckled lowly. “Huh, it seems that I have underestimated you, but no matter!” The man stood straight up with a surge of energy and adrenaline rushing through his veins. “I will win the remaining three!” Gaston’s eyes shifted subtly towards the Queen, who was watching the scene unfold while petting Olaf on his head.

Elsa, who noticed his eye movements, quickly unsheathed her sword and held it high. The grip on the hilt of her sword tightened and her blue eyes hardened at the man.

“I’m ready.”

Gaston gave out a hearty laugh. He pointed his sword towards his competitor. “Bring it on.”

Elsa stood in her spot, waiting for Gaston to make a move. Gaston inched slowly towards Elsa, his sword held high and ready to deflect any attacks that his competitor would make.

Gaston eventually inched his way to stand in front of Elsa. He wiggled his sword, swishing it in the air in order to make himself be unpredictable in his next strike. Elsa’s blue eyes followed the stuttering sword.

Gaston swung his sword down onto Elsa’s right side. She was quick to deflect it once before moving her sword again to her left, predicting that Gaston would spin his body to attack her left side.

Gaston, once again, underestimated his opponent when she had ended up behind him in a blink of an eye. The man turned around, but had his sword thrown up into the air when Elsa had clashed her sword against his while he was turning.

The tip of Elsa’s sword was pointed at Gaston’s neck. Everyone stayed silent as those blue eyes stared at Gaston’s widened, brown ones. The Sigil moved her sword back an inch before swinging it upwards. The tip of her sword was about a centimeter from cutting Gaston’s face, but her sword had clashed against Gaston’s sword which was falling from the sky.

Gaston’s sword flew towards his end of the battlefield.

No one spoke, and even Gaston stood, frozen in shock and fear.

Elsa sheathed her sword back into the case before she turned towards her supporters. Eric’s blue eyes narrowed at the fight that had undergone, Kristoff stood there with his mouth agape and Anna stood there with teal eyes the size of moons.

Olaf, on the other hand, was looking between Anna and Elsa, his tail wagging excitedly as he watched his partner undergo and win another easy battle.

Elsa took a few steps forward towards the Queen but paused. Her back still faced Gaston, but her voice penetrated through the stunned environment.

“See you tomorrow.”

With that, Elsa made her way towards Queen Anna and Olaf. Queen Anna’s eyes followed Elsa’s approaching figure until the competitor stood in front of her.

Elsa gave Anna one of her charming and confident smiles, reaching her hand out to stop in between the two of their bodies. “Thanks for holding Olaf back.”

Anna’s eyes looked down at Elsa’s hand, her face flushing again with a shade of red. The girl handed Olaf’s leash to Elsa, their fingertips grazing against each other as Anna felt a jolt of electricity run through her veins.

Elsa gingerly accepted the leash, feeling the soft graze of Anna’s fingers against hers. When the leash was in her full possession, Elsa watched as Anna’s teal eyes shot back up to meet her icy blue ones.

Elsa gave Anna another grin. “Thanks again. I hope you enjoyed watching the match, Your Majesty.”

Anna gulped as she watched Elena turn her attention to the wolf, who wagged its tail excitedly. Her teal eyes followed Elena’s facial features and how she had a motherly, kind smile on her face when her attention averted to her partner. She watched as Elena bent down to scratch behind the wolf’s ear, watched as she stood back up and watched as she walked away.

As Elsa walked away, all that ran through her thoughts was the fact that Anna had stayed for her entire fight – that Anna, the Queen of Arendelle, stayed to pay attention and provide support for her fight that was far off in the forest.

_But why?..._

Elsa looked down at Olaf, who continued to sniff the ground as they continued to make their way out of the forest.

_And Olaf was never aggressive… She was able to tame this one. No one can tame Olaf._

Elsa released another sigh as they continued out of the forest.

* * *

The Kingdom of Arendelle was much more awake and bustling this night. With the competition underway, competitors and those who visited to witness the competition filled the streets of Arendelle – restaurants and bars were much more crowded than usual, people were out and about, discussing about the matches on the first day.

Elsa didn’t care for those activities. Yes, she should be out and socializing in order to display an image. She should be out and about, learning more about the other competitors and picking up intel.

Instead, Elsa sat down alone on one of the benches of the castle courtyard. The sun had fallen about thirty minutes ago, signaling the start of the bustling night life. A plastic card hung around her neck like a lanyard, signaling to guards that she was a competitor in the competition. The perks of being a competitor was the fact that she had access to the castle, even as the night crept upon them. until midnight, where the castle had to be cleared of competitors as well.

Olaf was out in the forest doing Olaf things. Elsa trusted her partner enough to allow him to roam freely in the forests.

She should be out in the town square, she should be out networking and talking with other people, she should be out to grab intel for her mission.

Yet, she didn’t feel like it, because all her mind thought about was her match earlier today – how Anna had stayed to watch the entire match when she didn’t need to. In fact, the Sigil had learned later, through word of mouth, that Queen Anna had only stayed to watch her entire match. Of course, Queen Anna would go from match to match to show her support, but she would never stay longer than one round.

Elsa couldn’t wrap her head around it.

_Is Anna suspecting me? I do have similar features to… well me. There’s no way she knows, everyone believes that I’m dead._

Elsa huffed out a breath of frustration.

_Then why did she stay? Why did she stay for my entire match? She barely even had a conversation with Elena._

The sounds of footsteps echoed in the silent courtyard.

_Ugh, and it doesn’t help the fact that I still have feelings for her. What I did earlier is a no go, especially to the Queen of Arendelle._

The footsteps neared.

_Yet, it seemed like she reacted positively. Or maybe it was just out of kindness?_

“What you doing?”

Elsa turned her head towards the sound of the voice. The Sigil never flinched, knowing exactly who was approaching her from a mile away.

Eric stood there, still in his attire from earlier today, with his arms crossed and a small smile on his face.

“What do you want?”

Eric did a hand motion. Elsa only rolled her eyes in response before scooting over on the bench, making room for Eric to plop himself down next to the Sigil.

“Whatcha up to?”

“Nothing.”

“Why aren’t you doing anything?” He stretched out the latter part of his sentence.

Elsa shrugged her shoulders. ”Don’t feel like it.”

“Perfect.” Eric threw his hands up in the air. “Let’s explore around the city.”

Elsa looked at the boy with a raised eyebrow.

“Come on! It’s our first night in a new city neither of us have been in. We should have fun!”

Elsa stared at the boy with her icy, blue eyes. Eric stared back at her; a grin perched upon his face.

“No.”

His grin instantaneously dropped.

“Why not?”

“Because I am not going to surround myself in an enclosed space discussing about the first round of matches.”

“But you dominated yours!”

Elsa raised an eyebrow at the boy. “So?”

Eric sighed. “Fine, what are we going to do?”

Elsa looked at the boy in disbelief. “What do you mean what are we going to do?”

“You heard me – what are we going to do? If we’re not going to enjoy the nightlife of Arendelle, then what do you want to do?”

“There is no ‘we’.” Elsa responded to the boy.

“Of course, there’s a we! We’re friends, after all.”

Elsa shook her head, standing up from the bench before walking towards the castle. Eric quickly scrambled from his seat and followed his fellow competitor until he was walking right next to her, step by step.

The duo walked into the castle and started making their way towards the West Wing.

“Where are we going?”

Elsa didn’t answer as she continued to walk towards the location she wanted to occupy herself in for the night. Eric only continued to follow, the sounds of their footsteps echoing within the empty halls of the castle. On occasions, they would come across a guard, whose eyes would flash to their dangling cards, or a maid, who would bow their head in courtesy.

Even though Eric didn’t receive a reply, the boy continued smiling and following the Sigil until they stood in front of a large, single door.

“What’s this?”

Elsa didn’t reply to Eric. Instead, the Sigil placed her hand on the golden handle and pushed it open. The smell of fresh paper and cool air infiltrated their nostrils. Beyond the door was a large library with bookshelves lined across the left and the right wall, the walls stretched long in length. The wall ahead of them was also lined with bookshelves that connected to the right and left wall, but the middle of the wall had a ceiling to wall glass window.

The library was tiered into three levels, separated in width by two to three steps that was accessible on the ends of the width of the floor. The first tier was empty, giving individuals the freedom to walk about the empty space. The second tier had a couch in between the ledge of the second and third tier which faced them. Additionally, there was a small table to the right of the couch that had a checkered board on top. The third tier had a long table in the middle of the third tier, giving about a few feet from the bookshelves to the table. On the right and left walls were also wall lamps that were strategically placed where the stairs were.

Elsa walked towards the right side of the room on the first tier, the current tier which they were standing on. Once Elsa was at the bookshelf, Eric snapped of his trance at the entrance and scurried over towards Elsa who had her fingers dancing across the spines of the novels in the shelves.

The Sigil grabbed a novel, turned left and proceeded to ascend the stairs from the first tier to the second tier. Eric grabbed a random book and followed his newfound friend that had plopped herself down onto one end of the couch.

Eric sat at the other end of the couch, leaving some space in between himself and Elsa.

The boy fiddled with the book in his hands while he looked at his newfound friend who had settled herself in the corner of the couch and was now reading.

Elsa’s escape from reality was reading. An escape from her thoughts, from the harsh truth, from everything around her was channeled through reading. The Sigil only discovered this when Belle had offered Elsa to go to the library to read with her. Additionally, the feel of reading in a library and on a couch tossed Elsa back to the feeling of being in Silva, hanging out with her second family. In the library, Belle and her would read while the others would read their own novels or play quiet games with one another. Ariel would read more about the world, Jack would continue planning and mapping out strategies and Aladdin, Flynn, Merida and Rapunzel would play silent games ranging from checkers to Pictionary.

Elsa was more of a chess person, but not all of her friends could wrap their minds around chess. As a result, Elsa would usually play against Belle, Jack, Ariel and Rapunzel.

Eric tapped his fingers against his book, a smile still framing his face as he watched Elsa. Elsa, who noticed the man’s gaze, shifted in her seat as she focused on reading. This continued on for the next five minutes until Eric spoke.

“You’re not reading, are you?”

Elsa’s blue eyes shot up to meet his blue ones. Eric still had a smile on his face while his eyes continued to study the Sigil.

“You haven’t been reading ever since we sat down. You made an attempt to, but I can tell by your body language that there’s something bothering you. A little bit is in regard to me studying you, but a larger part is elsewhere.”

_How does he…_

“Now you’re wondering how I deduced all of that, but my specialty is being able to read people’s body language and thoughts well enough. Besides that, something has been bothering you. In fact, I’ve noticed this ever since I first met you. You’re always entering into this daze, worrying about so many things that you can’t keep track of.”

Elsa sat in her corner, her eyes not widening and her façade not changing.

_Is Eric a threat? How was he able to see right through me? I wasn’t that transparent, was I? Is he another…_

Elsa stared at the man, who continued to give his smile. With all the information he was giving out, it seemed as if the smile he had was creepy, border lining psychotic. Although, to anyone else looking from the outside in, Eric seemed like a friendly man.

“Oh rats! I scared you, didn’t I? I’m sorry, I have a tendency to do that when I overanalyze and share my thoughts. My girlfriend, Ursula, always points that out too.”

Elsa only stared at the man.

“Look.” Eric’s smile faltered and he sighed. “I don’t mean to come off on the wrong foot. I get it, meeting new people isn’t your goal here. Your goal here is to win the competition, like everyone else, but I also would just want to get to know you. You are one of the few girls in the competition after all.” Eric used his hand to cover over his mouth, as if he was trying to whisper Elsa a secret even though there was nobody else in the library.

Eric whispered lowly. “And if I’m being honest with you, most of these competitors are disgusting pigs or blood hungry savages or both… and I’d rather not surround myself to that.”

Eric then proceeded to use the hand that was covering his mouth to extend towards Elsa. “Hi! My name is Eric and I am originally from the Kingdom of Atlas. Small island, nothing much to do, people come and go as tourists because the rumored city of Atlantis is nearby. I cannot confirm nor deny that latter statement because I couldn’t care less about it. I’m a commoner, a fisherman, back in my Kingdom and am out here mostly for the prize money so that I can live slightly better and support myself and my girlfriend.”

Elsa tilted her head to the side in confusion as Eric had introduced himself. The man in front of her seemed genuine... not like he wasn’t genuine before, but there was no negative aura being emitted out of him. Well, not that Elsa could see of. He seemed like just an ordinary, friendly man who just wanted to win the competition for the prize money.

Nothing more, nothing less.

_I need an ally anyways. Besides…_

Elsa’s eyes casted towards Eric’s hand as she contemplated her decision.

_Someone to talk to wouldn’t hurt, right? Who knows how long I will be here for._

Her cool hand reached over to meet Eric’s warm, calloused one. Elsa looked up to see Eric’s eyes brighten up significantly, his smile widening larger than ever before as the man shook Elsa’s hand.

“My name is Elena.” Elsa introduced herself. Eric rolled his eyes, a grin still on his face.

“That’s the only thing I know about you! Besides your name and your wolf, Olaf. Speaking of which, where is he right now?”

“He’s running off in the forest. He needs his own time to explore and such.” Elsa retracted her hand and placed it on top of her book.

“Huh, that’s cool. What do you like to do during your free time?”

Elsa hummed, tapping her fingers against the hard cover of her book. “Well, I like to read.”

Eric laughed. “Really now?”

The Sigil rolled her eyes. “And I also like chess.”

“Ah, an intellect, I see.”

“I don’t think enjoying to read and play chess considers me as an intellect.”

“Better than two thirds of the other competitors here.” Eric scoffed. “I mean, seriously, if they aren’t royalty or high-class noblemen, then I’m sure they haven’t even picked up a book or made an attempt to learn how to read. Heck, even those high-class people probably wouldn’t know and wouldn’t try if it wasn’t forced onto them.”

“You’re not giving them enough credit.”

Eric looked straight into Elsa’s blue eye. “Elena, if anything, I’m giving the too much credit.”

This earned a small laugh from the Sigil.

“Tell me Elena, where are you originally from?”

“I live nearby the Kingdom of Corona.”

“Ah, I see.” Eric paused and wiggled his eyebrow. “Anyone special back at home?”

Elsa shook her head. “Nope, no one special.”

“Really now?”

“Yep.”

“And why is that?”

Elsa raised her eyebrow at him. “Why would you think there’s anyone special?”

“Well, I figured that with you being a skilled, badass fighter, pretty attractive and mysterious that both girls and guys would swarm at you. Especially girls. Don’t they like mysterious, badass people?”

Elsa stared at the man in disbelief. “Well, you don’t seem badass, but you have someone special.”

Eric waved his hand. “I’m a special case. Ursula likes me for some reason even though I am not a badass like you. I think it’s because she, herself, is one. You need balance in a relationship.”

Before Elsa could rebuttal, the sound of the library door opening echoed within the halls. Both Eric’s and Elsa’s blue eyes looked towards the door to note Queen Anna entering into the room. Unlike her usual, two outfits, the Queen wore a light green nightgown.

What caused Elsa to stop breathing for a second was the fact that Anna had a black coat draped around her body. To be specific, _her_ black coat. The exact one that Spymaster Kallum gave her.

The Queen’s teal eyes widened when she noticed that there were competitors in the library. To her assumption, everyone seemed to be exploring or enjoying the night life of what Arendelle had to offer. Yet, there were two competitors that decided to spend their leisure time in the confines of one of the many castle libraries.

Eric was the first to move and react, hopping onto his feet and bowing with a grin on his face. “Good evening, Your Majesty!”

Anna shook her head, snapping out of her trance. “Hello Eric.” Her teal eyes casted over towards Elena, who quickly shifted her gaze to the hardcover of her book. For some reason, the Queen found Elena’s actions adorable, especially since it was different from her behavior earlier today. Other rulers would have been offended at the fact that Elena didn’t greet her properly, but Anna felt enlightened and normal.

Elena still did not say anything to Anna as the Queen made her way towards the stairs from the door. Those blue eyes, that were once confident earlier today, were stil casted downward at the book. Even as Anna arrived in front of Elena, the girl did not even spare a glance at the Queen.

“Good evening Elena.”

At the mention of her name, Elsa looked up to finally have teal clash with blue. Elsa kept a confident gaze while Anna attempted to maintain that gaze. Anna didn’t feel pressured as she usually would if she were to meet gazes of other sovereigns or dignitaries.

This gaze that she kept with Elena made her body heat up. It wasn’t in a way where her body was heating up due to anxiety and pressure of caring about what other people think, but in a way that it seemed flustered under the competitor’s gaze.

“Good evening, Queen Anna.” Elsa answered back, keeping her gaze with the Queen. 

Anna’s face flushed with a light tint of pink at the sound of Elena’s voice. Her eyes casted down at the cover of the book that the competitor held in her hands. The title of the novel was something that Anna had always wanted to try to read but never got around to doing.

“How are you liking that book?”

Anna lifted her teal eyes up to see Elena emit a small smile. She felt her heart palpitate at a faster rate. 

“This is my third time reading it.”

“A favorite?”

“One of the few.” Elena replied. Anna nodded her head, looking at the empty space to the left of Elena. Before Elena could catch her, Anna quickly shifted her gaze back to Elena. 

“Mind if I join you two?”

Anna looked at Eric to see the man staring at them with a silly grin on his face. The Queen furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

“Actually, I think I’m going to head to bed.” Eric answered, giving Anna a discrete wink. The Queen’s cheeks reddened again for the thousandth time that day.

Without giving Elsa the opportunity to answer or question Eric’s motive, the man immediately hopped from the second ledge to the first tier. “Good night!” His back faced the pair when he bid them a farewell. Eric slipped through the library door, his steps echoing within the empty halls of the castle. 

Anna awkwardly stood in front of Elena, her hands intertwined with each other and in front of her body. The Queen waited for the competitor’s reply, standing in the same spot as she did before.

Elsa looked up at Anna. She felt her breath stuck in her throat as she noticed the Queen awkwardly standing there, her eyes trying to study the room instead of focusing on herself. The idea that Elsa, herself, had made Anna nervous threw her back into her feelings of nostalgia.

“Do you still want to stay?” Elsa asked.

Anna’s nervous, teal eyes focused onto Elsa. The Queen hesitantly and slowly nodded her head. “If that is okay with you?”

Elsa shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “Sure, I don’t mind. This is your castle anyways, Your Majesty.”

The competitor turned back to her book. Anna’s head quickly bobbed up and down before she scurried off to a specific part of the library to grab a book. When the sovereign grabbed the book she needed and came back to the couch, Elena was already settled in a corner, her eyes coursing over the literary words of the novel that she held in her hands.

Anna, deciding not to interrupt the girl’s focus, settled herself on the other end of the couch before opening her own novel in her attempt to read.

Elsa’s blue eyes looked up from her book when she felt a shift on the couch. Elsa caught Anna in the moment where she was currently settling herself in her own corner, her hands just opening the book that she retrieved a few seconds ago.

The book that Anna held was far too familiar to Elsa. It was one of the few favorites the Sigil had prior to the attack on Arendelle five years ago. It was a book that she never got around to finishing in the end, having it feel quite odd and peculiar to finish it without the girl in front of her that she still dearly loves. The same exact book that they would read every single night when they had their sleepovers. The book about the superheroes that reflected towards their thoughts about the Sigils back then.

At that thought, Elsa couldn’t help but think about what the Queen herself thought of the Sigils. Surely enough, the Sigils did help retrieve the people of Arendelle back from the Attack on Arendelle, but Elsa didn’t come back from the results of the rescue. Sovereigns worldwide always had different feelings on the Sigils – from hatred to indifference to adoration.

The Sigil suddenly spoke up. “Is that a favorite book of yours?”

Anna’s gaze immediately shifted from her attempt to read the book in front of her to the Sigil. The Queen’s head hesitantly bobbed up and down again for the second time that night. “Yeah, it is. This book means a lot to me.”

Elsa’s heart clenched in her chest. Although, she couldn’t show that what Anna had said impacted her. “The physical book itself that you’re holding or the contents of the book?” Elsa tried to joke.

This earned a small giggle from Anna. The Queen of Arendelle rolled her eyes. “The contents. The physical copy itself that is dearest to be is in my bed chambers.”

Pretending that those words didn’t even affect Elsa more, the competitor continued to ask. “Why is that book a favorite of yours?”

Elsa knew that she had the full attention of the Queen when Anna had closed the book and placed it down on her lap. Anna placed her feet up on the couch and positioned herself in a way so that she was facing the competitor. Her back leaned against the arm of the couch so that her body was facing in Elsa’s direction. Anna brought her knees to her chest, the book being in between her thighs and her chest.

“It’s a nice book about people who travel all over the world to help protect others who need it. It’s pretty well-written and creative. The author is always keeping you on your toes, whether if it’s more about the heroes in the book or the adventure itself.”

Seeing the perfect opportunity to slip the question in, Elsa asked, “Sort of like the Sigils in present time, right?”

Elsa studied Anna’s behavior at the mention of Sigils. It seems that her body language changed in a way that was a bit tenser than usual. Her eyes, that were once filled with curiosity, had flashed with a sliver of pain and hurt, before it reverted to somberness.

“Yeah, I’d say it’s like them.”

“What do you think about the Sigils?”

The question was so sudden that Anna’s teal eyes widened when she gazed at Elsa. The Queen blinked her teal eyes for a second before snapping out of her surprise gaze. Anna opened her mouth before closing it once more, thinking through what she exactly had wanted to say.

Feeling as if she had crossed a line, Elsa followed up. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I was just wondering since everyone has different opinions on them.”

“No, no. I just needed to think about my answer, that’s all.” Anna quickly replied.

Elsa raised an eyebrow at her prompt response.

Anna continued to speak. “I think the Sigils are pretty cool. It’s amazing how they dedicate their life to protect other people without revealing their identity. They have a very mysterious aura to them. One individual is equivalent to ten times the power of a Kingdom’s army. I find their objective, mystery and power very intriguing. I don’t hate them like other Kingdoms do.”

“How do you feel about the Sigils?” Anna asked.

Elsa blinked her eyes. She had to answer as Elena Snow and only as Elena Snow. “I think they’re pretty cool. I really admire them and find inspiration in their strength and skills.”

Anna laughed again, her teal eyes looking from Elena’s mask to her sword. “I mean, the snowflake guard and the snowflake mask are a dead giveaway that you’re a big fan of the Ice Queen, I’m assuming?”

“Are you sure it’s not because my last name is Snow, and I felt as if it would be cool to have a snowflake mask and snowflake guard?”

Anna giggled again, rolling her eyes at Elena’s response. “Well, from your answer about your thoughts of the Sigils, I don’t think that’s the case. Besides, “ Anna’s lips curved upward in a small smile. “If we’re going to be honest here, I’m pretty sure the Ice Queen has the largest fan base. Have you seen all of the merchandise that revolve around the Sigils which people make off a fortune selling? I’m pretty sure that the Ice Queen ones are the best sellers.”

“In fact, I’m pretty sure they sell snowflake guards and masks as a merchandise piece.” Anna teased.

Elsa was the next to release a genuine and soft laugh. The response made Anna’s eyes light up.

“Fine, fine. You caught me.” Elsa raised her hands up. “Oh Your Majesty, please arrest me for being a wannabe to the Ice Queen.”

Anna emitted another giggle. “Then call me a hypocrite if I do arrest you for that reason.”

It was Elsa’s turn to tilt her head to the side in interest. Anna stared at the girl as the competitor spoke. “You a big fan of the Ice Queen?”

Anna continued to stare at the girl as if she was in a trance. Before Elsa could call her out for it, Anna snapped out of it. “Sorry.” The Queen proceeded to slap herself lightly on the cheek. “I tend to zone out at times, apologies.”

_Since when did she scold her own self for zoning out?_

“That’s no problem. I tend to do that too, just not as long pauses.” Elsa teased again. The Queen only rolled her eyes at the competitor’s playful banter.

“So, you didn’t answer my question.”

“Oh, right! I mean, I think if I were to choose my favorite Sigil out of all of them, the Ice Queen would probably be it.”

“Wow, the Queen choosing favorites now?”

Anna pouted at Elsa’s statement. The blonde proceeded to laugh at the Queen’s childlike behavior.

“You asked!”

“I asked if you were a fan, not if she was your favorite.”

Anna only grunted in response.

“Whatever.” The Queen proceeded to try and keep the light away from her. “Why do you like the Ice Queen?”

Elsa shrugged her shoulders. “As I mentioned, I look up to all of the Sigils fighting styles and their goals. For the Ice Queen, I like how she is merciful against her enemies, how she cares about all of the innocent people and her fighting style.” Elsa paused, thinking of what she was going to say next would be wise. “If you did notice, some of my fighting style is inspired by her movements as well.”

“Oh, I didn’t notice. Although, at the same time, I’m not really experienced in sword fighting or any of that.”

“Really now? I’m surprised.” Elsa watched as Anna’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “I would assume that you would be the type that likes to learn about sword fighting and combat and horse-riding.”

“I mean, I know how to ride a horse. It’s just that my parents and the council thought that it was unnecessary for me to learn how to wield a sword if I’m going to have a Protector by my side anyways.”

“Do you want to learn?”

Anna’s teal eyes widened as it focused onto Elena’s blue ones. Elena, or Elsa, sat there with a charming smile and relaxed posture.

“I mean, I wouldn’t mind, but I don’t think anyone would be willing to teach me.”

“What about Kristoff?”

Anna scoffed at the boy’s name. “No thank you. He’s my friend, but at the same time, he’s not the greatest teacher in the world. I’ve seen him teach younger guards, and let’s just say that they didn’t really show any change after his teachings.”

“Maybe I can teach you?”

“Really?” Anna asked, curiosity and surprise leaking through that singular word.

Elsa nodded her head enthusiastically. “Sure, why not? I mean, that’s only if I stay for a while from the competition.”

“You will.”

“You sound confident about that. More confident than me.” Elsa chuckled.

Anna only shrugged her shoulders. “After seeing your match with Gaston today, I’m sure that you will definitely get far.”

“Did you see any of the other competitors?”

Anna’s face slightly tinted pink as she looked to the right towards the third tier of the library. “I did see some of their matches.”

“Matches but not the round?” Elsa asked amusingly, her voice having an edge of cockiness.

“I just didn’t have time.”

“But you had time to stay for my entire round?”

The pout made its proper home back to Anna’s lips. Her face was now a deeper shade of red as she looked anywhere but at the competitor in front of her.

“Well, you see… I.. uhm…”

A small smirk made its way back towards Elsa’s lips. “Please, Your Majesty, you don’t have to be nervous.”

“Ugh, don’t call me that.” Anna’s pout intensified as her eyes landed back onto the competitor. Her face flushed a deeper red than ever before as she noticed the smirk and confidence that the girl was exuding.

“Call you what?”

“Your Majesty.”

“Does it bother you?”

Anna sighed. “As I said on the first night that we met… my conversation with you was one of the more casual, proper ones. When people call me the Queen or Your Majesty, I just feel awkward.”

Elsa tilted her head to the side again. “Then how would you want me to address you?”

“Anna.” The Queen tucked a strand of her strawberry-blonde hair behind her ear. “Anna is fine.”

“Anna.”

The sound of her name flowed smoothly off of Elsa’s lips, and she felt a sense of familiarity and comfort and just… rightness? It felt right to say her name for once, to address her through her name as they had done for years.

“Elena.” Anna answered.

Then, the entire situation came back in full force once again for Elsa. In this setting, with a mask on and as a competitor in this competition, she was Elena Snow, an individual who wanted to compete for the prize money and hopefully a potential, future job. Her pseudo identity for a mission that she had to take because she is a Sigil.

Elsa didn’t show the impact that it had though. She was always good at hiding it, always good at hiding how she truly felt, her emotions and her behavior. She never liked being seen as weak, fragile and sensitive to anyone, not even to the other Sigils.

“That’s my name.” Elsa answered with a wink.

Anna rolled her eyes before hugging her knees to her chest. “So, tell me more about yourself, Elena Snow.”

“What do you want to know more about?”

Anna placed her chin on top of her knees. “How about your life story?

“To what extent?”

“Just anything you want to share.”

Elsa raised her eyebrow at the girl. “Don’t you have a file of each competitor and their background check?”

Anna nodded her head. “Yep, but it’s not like I know everything about each competitor. I wasn’t the one that chose who could compete.”

“Well…” Elsa tapped her finger against her chin. “My name is Elena Snow and I currently live with a few friends off the coast of the Kingdom of Corona.”

“What happened to your parents?”

Elsa frowned, running a hand through her platinum-blonde tresses. “Uhm… they passed away.”

Anna’s playful mood quickly dropped. Her own eyes casted down at the ground. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

Elsa shook her head, a small but sad smile on her face. “No, don’t be. I… had the opportunity to get to know them, but I never really got to it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I… I didn’t really have the best relationship with my parents growing up. For them, it was all about cultivating a golden child. Sometimes, I felt like what I wanted to do wasn’t considered. There was a point in my life where I ran away and didn’t go back.” 

Anna’s teal eyes shot back at the girl as she attentively listened to her.

“That’s when I met my family - this group of people that didn’t really have anyone but themselves. They were living off a house off the coast of the Kingdom of Corona.”

“Tell me more about them.” Anna encouraged, attempting to put some good vibes in the saddened mood.

“Well, there’s seven of us, including myself. Three other guys and three other girls. We each do our own thing in order to make a living and try to survive and help each other survive. Although, we look forward to coming home to each other each and every day.”

Anna nodded her head.

“We barely get by, but at least we barely get by together. There’s Malinda.” Elsa imagined a Merida with her two quivers of arrows and a bow grasped tightly in her hands. “She likes to hunt in the forest a lot and just run around. She brings in meat for us typically.” Elsa proceeds to recall a time where Aladdin wanted to join them in hunting. She remembers how his face had whitened and how he had fainted when Merida had quickly killed a couple of rabbits. Most likely because Aladdin could also talk to animals. “Then there’s Alex, who loves to take care of animals. He works in the stables of the castle.”

“There’s Amara who helps with the care of the ocean. She also helps the fisherman and traders out on the docks. Then there’s Frederick.” Elsa paused. What would Flynn do if he wasn’t a Sigil? He was a con artist before! His powers don’t really align with any occupation… “who is dating Rachel.” The image of Rapunzel appeared in her mind. “And Rachel works at a local bar.”

“What does Frederick do?”

_What would Flynn do?_

“Frederick works with me.” Elsa quickly answered, making sure that the pause wasn’t too suspicious. “Then there’s John, who helps take care of kids during the day.”

“So, what do you and Frederick do?”

“Him and I do missions and errands available on the Kingdom’s board. Little things that people want us to do.”

Anna nodded her head. “How did you become so skilled with a sword?”

“Well, I was raised to be an asset. I was always intrigued with a sword, and so I learned at a young age to wield them. It just turned into a hobby, and the missions that the Kingdom Board had requested also had some sort of sword usage in them.”

“And your parents were okay with that?”

Elsa laughed. “If anything, they encouraged it.” Her blue eyes gazed into the curious, teal ones. “What about you?”

Anna rolled her eyes playfully. “What about me?”

Elsa got a bit more comfortable on the couch. “Tell me about yourself.”

Anna’s eyebrows furrowed. “Isn’t there thousands of rumors and articles about me?”

Elsa’s head tilted to the side again. “And?”

“So don’t you know everything?”

“But I want to hear it from you.”

Silence. Anna stared at the competitor in front of her. She noticed her sparkling, blue eyes that glossed with genuine interest, her pale, smooth complexion that glowed and radiated with health and her platinum-blonde tresses that cascaded down her back, her silky bangs framing her face with some of her baby hairs slicked back.

Here was someone who wanted to know more about her. Just her. Not Queen Anna, not the Queen of Arendelle, not the sovereign that had a series of unfortunate events. This competitor just wanted to know more about her.

Anna’s face contorted in a small frown at the fact that, as she looked at Elena Snow, her mind wandered to someone else. Someone else that had her heart, that _still_ has a hold to her heart. Someone who had promised her with eternity and infinite love.

Someone who could be alive. Someone who could have willingly left her, willingly not come back if she was alive.

“Are you okay?” The competitor’s voice broke through. Anna shook her head out of her thoughts, her eyes focusing back onto the girl who now had concern glazed in her eyes. It seemed as if the competitor was holding back their stance, their body leaning forward and their hands clutching the seat cushion, as if it was trying to refrain from reaching forward.

“Yeah… yeah I’m okay.” Anna breathed. Her teal eyes watched as Elena pulled her hands closer to her body.

“I’m sorry. I zoned out again.” Anna apologized.

“No, there’s nothing to be sorry about.” The girl replied softly. “If anything, I’m sorry if I got too personal or tried to cross a line.”

Anna’s teal eyes widened. “No, no!” She quickly answered. “You didn’t cross any line at all. If anything, I crossed some lines with asking you questions about your life.”

“Questions that you could get answers from if you looked into my file.”

“Regardless, I asked about your personal life first, not the other way around. You shouldn’t be sorry for anything.”

Another silence. Anna watched as the competitor stayed silent, her blue eyes casted down at the ground. The Queen’s own mood dampened, and her smile fell at the fact that she had caused the competitor’s mood to fall.

“I know the first night we met, I lied about my identity, but I do really love the stars.”

The competitor’s blue eyes looked up to see Anna’s kind smile. The sovereign continued to speak.

“Just like you, I always found comfort in the stars. I have a tendency to look up at it every night, thinking of those I love and wondering where they are, what they’re thinking and if we’re looking up at the same stars, thinking of each other.”

Elsa froze, her back stiff as the Queen sighed dreamily. “I grew up as a Princess. I attended events from a young age, met Princes and Princesses and lived the life of Royalty.”

Elsa tried to relax her posture and lean back towards the couch awkwardly. Anna continued to stare into space with a love-stricken smile on her face.

“Of course, I grew up to be a bit more humble than usual sovereigns. I also didn’t like always being a Princess and having to network, but it was all bearable because I had a best friend back then.”

Anna released another sigh again, but this sigh wasn’t one of exhaustion or had any negative connotation. It was that of a dreamy sigh, as if she was reminiscing back to happier memories.

“Her name is Elsa. She was my Protector back then and had been ever since I was five. I met her because my father’s best friend and Protector was her father. We did everything together, and she was always the one to help me through my studies. Also always the proper one.” Anna giggled. 

“In fact, if she wasn’t my Protector, I would think she would be a perfect Queen. Always so smart, reserved, intelligent, diligent and the list goes on.”

Elena only nodded her head to signal Anna that she was listening.

“She was, no, _is,_ beautiful. She’s breathtaking and would always stand out in any room. She’s perfect, she’s kind and sweet and gentle and - “ 

Anna’s teal eyes shifted towards the curious competitor’s one. The Queen’s cheeks tinted pink and she looked down at the ground. 

“Sorry for ranting.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.” Elsa offered the Queen a small smile. “This Elsa girl must mean a lot to you.”

Anna nodded her head. “She does. She was the light of my life. I woke up each morning looking forward to talking to her, to hanging out with her, to just breathing with her. It didn’t matter what we were doing, but I always enjoyed being around her.”

“I fell in love with her when I was eight. And yes, you’ll think that an eight-year-old wouldn’t understand love, but it just felt right. My heart would always race around her, I would have butterflies in my stomach around her and her touch always made my skin feel as if it was on fire.” 

“We finally got together ten years later. Ten years and I finally had the confidence to tell her how I felt. Of course, it was in the spur of the moment, but I would never forget that day and all the pain that finally led up to it.”

“Young love.” Elsa spoke up. Anna nodded her head. Her dreamy smile dropped as her eyes saddened. Although, a smile was still on her face, but the smile was a bit more saddened, a bit more downcasted. 

“Yeah, it was great while it lasted.” Anna added. “I’m not sure if you heard about the Attack on Arendelle five years ago.”

“The one where pirates had come to infiltrate the castle? Where the King, Queen and the Captain of the Royal Guard weren’t there?”

Anna nodded her head. “It was. The Spymaster of Arendelle, Kallum.” Anna took a pause when she noticed Elena raise her eyebrow at her. “Sorry, Spymaster Kallum. The Spymaster of Arendelle, Spymaster Kallum, was also gone on a mission during the attack.”

“She sacrificed her life to save me and her brother. Then, a couple of Sigils had come back with the ships filled with the stolen Arendellians.”

At the mention of the Sigils, Elsa sat up, her eyes even more attentive to Anna.

_I haven’t heard of this part, or not from her perspective at least._

“There was the one with the Southern Isles symbol and the one with the Silva symbol. I had a brief conversation with the Southern Isles one, and they told me that they couldn’t find her; that she was never on the ship.”

When Anna finished her sentence, her eyes glistened. Her hands began to tremble and her bottom lip suddenly quivered. Elsa’s brain turned off, and she wasn’t exactly sure what came over her, but the Sigil immediately scooted over towards the Queen and placed a hand on top of her knee.

Anna’s tear-stricken eyes looked up to meet the comforting blue. The competitor offered her a small smile.

“I’m sorry that you lost her.”

Those words shouldn’t have meant anything to Anna. There were countless numbers of people that would give her condolences, that would give her sympathy, sometimes even pity, for her loss. From Elsa to her parents. All those apologies meant nothing but empty words to Anna.

Yet, the genuineness that came from the competitor words meant something to Anna. She didn’t know why, but her words made her feel slightly better. It made her feel better, but it still caused more tears to arise in her eyes.

Anna never really liked crying in front of anyone. She needed to show a strong front to everyone. She was the crown Princess after all. 

Elena’s soft and comforting smile was all it took for Anna to break down into pieces for once. For the first time in her life for the past five years, Anna broke down and became a sobbing mess in front of somebody else. All the bottled-up sadness and pain that she had accumulated over the years had a glimpse of the outside air.

Anna’s tears continued to flow, and her hiccup sobs started to ensue. Elsa lifted her hand from Anna’s knee, causing the Queen to meet those blue eyes once again. 

In the blur of the moment, Anna ended up burying her face into Elsa’s neck. The blonde felt wetness on her neck slowly roll down her shoulders. The Queen of Arendelle, once a friendly, benevolent, happy and confident individual, was a sobbing mess. She curled into Elsa’s side, her entire body trembling while Elsa wrapped her arms securely around Anna, rubbing soothing circles on her back without saying a single word.

And as each cry echoed within the empty library, Elsa’s heart continued to chip away more and more. A couple of her own tears rolled down her porcelain cheeks as she placed her nose onto the crown of the Queen’s head.

_I’m sorry that I’ve hurt you._


	22. Others

_ “Elsa, Elsa!” A nine year old Anna pointed towards one of the food stands.  _

_ Eleven year old Elsa, with her small, platinum-blonde braid and soft, blue eyes, looked down at the Princess. The younger girl held onto Elsa’s hand, tugging her towards one of the stands that sold chocolate truffles.  _

_ “Can we get some? Pleaseee?” the younger girl begged. Elsa looked at her with an eyebrow raised. _

_ “Anna, it’s lunch time right now. Don’t you think you should be eating actual food instead of chocolate? Chocolate isn’t a meal.” _

_ Anna frowned. “Well, it is in my book. Can we get some? Please Elsa?”  _

_ “Anna…” the Protector started. _

_ The Princess started pouting, her eyes glistening as she begged. Elsa sighed, looking away and trying to keep her gaze away from those puppy dog eyes. _

_ “Anna, you have to eat a real meal.” _

_ “How about for dessert? Can’t we just get them now and eat them after lunch?” _

_ Elsa sighed. She could never resist the Princess. She could never resist her best friend. “Okay, let’s go grab some. Then, we have to get lunch before we eat the chocolates, okay?” _

_ Anna’s eyes glowed brightly as she nodded her head. “Okay!” She started to pull the laughing Protector along. “This is my favorite chocolate place! I think you’ll like it a lot too.” _

* * *

Elsa stood on the side next to Olaf, watching as Eric swiftly parried his opponents attacks. Eric’s game was all about defense, eventually trying to wear down his enemy with his stamina. 

The same man fell to his knees, gasping for breath while Eric smiled down at him and sheathed his sword back into its hilt. Eric offered his hand to the man on his knees.

“It was a nice round! You did well, and you have better stamina than most people I’ve gone against when practicing.”

The man looked up, his exhausted brown eyes looking at the hand extended. 

Instead of accepting it, he got onto his feet and walked away, grumbling at himself for losing the competition so early.

Eric frowned, retracting his hand as it fell to his side. “Bummer.” The man turned around to see Elena and Olaf standing there to support his match. The man smiled joyfully and jogged his way over to his friend.

“Morning!”

“It is morning indeed.” Elsa noted. Eric had the earliest round time, that being 9 am. It was already 10 am, signaling the next rounds to start in about an hour.

Elsa was going to participate in the next set of rounds. 

The location of where her fight was going to be wasn’t as far into the forest as yesterday. It was right in the middle, surrounded by trees and about a five minute walk away from the entrance to the Kingdom. 

“Want to go into town to grab something small to eat?”

Elsa shrugged. “Not really that hungry.”

“Come on, what else do you have to do?”

“True…” Elsa contemplated. “A coffee or something small wouldn’t hurt.” 

“Yep, so let’s go!”

The eager, energetic man started to jog towards the entrance of the town. Elsa shook her head before following the man with a confused Olaf trailing behind his partner. 

The two walked side by side into town. Townspeople would send smiles their way before whispering to whomever they were with in town, most likely gossiping about the competitors. Some would stare with wide eyes at Olaf. Olaf was still a young wolf, but had an intimidating size. 

As the two entered into one of the alleyways filled with food, citizens were bustling and chatting throughout the alleyway, discussing about their ongoing lives as well as the competition. 

At the end of the alleyway was a familiar, small and quaint chocolate shop. The chocolate shop was still up and going. The Sigil recalls always going there once a week to grab chocolate truffles or hot chocolate with someone who was still special to her, who still held a sacred place in her heart.

The Sigil can clearly recall what had happened last night. She wasn’t sure how she, Elena Snow, was pulled into that situation, but as both Elsa Winters and Elena Snow, she knows that she wouldn’t forget it. 

_ As time passed in the library, the young girl in her arms had finally cried herself to sleep. Throughout the entire time, all Elsa could do was comfort her with back rubs, keeping the girl close to her. _

_ The time was about half an hour before midnight. Elsa would need to know how to have Anna back in her bedchambers before midnight considering that the competitor shouldn’t be here.  _

_ The sound of the door opening and closing grabbed the competitor’s attention. Elsa turned to see a fairly old, familiar woman who had her hair turning into a light grey. Her brown eyes widened at the sight in front of her. Although, her eyes immediately softened as she released a sigh of relief.  _

_ “I’m glad that Anna is here.” _

_ Elsa nodded her head, looking down at the distraught yet sleeping Queen. _

_ “Apologies, my name is Gerda.” the woman bowed. “You must be a competitor in the competition? Elena Snow?” _

_ Elsa’s head tilted to the side in confusion. “Yes, that’s me. I’m surprised you have heard of my name; it has only been the first day of the competition.” _

_ “Everyone around the town is talking about you! Plus, this one has mentioned you as well after last night’s masquerade ball.” _

_ Elsa’s eyes widened underneath her mask. _

_ Gerda caught on, quickly reaffirming the competitor in her assumption. “Only good things though.” The maid offered Elsa a smile. “I’m also surprised how well your relationship with Queen Anna has developed.” _

_ Elsa’s face flushed a light red. “Oh, no.” She looked down at the sleeping girl in her arms, debating whether or not she should retract her arms. “I.. uhm… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have - “ _

_ “Oh child, I am not scolding you. It has been a while since Anna has had anyone this close before.” _

_ “But we just met last night and…” _

_ “We should get her back to her bedchambers though. I’m sure you would want to head back to the inn.” _

_ “Oh, uhm sure. Yeah, that sounds good.” Elsa spoke out. _

_ Gerda nodded her head. “I hope you can help me. I can’t really carry the Queen back to her bedchambers, but I’m sure you can. Although, if you’re not comfortable with it or want to head out, I can always grab a guard.” _

_ “No, no. I’ll help.” Elsa said, looking down at the sleeping Queen again. _

_ “Great.” Gerda smiled. “Whenever you’re ready.” _

_ With a nod of her head, Elsa positioned herself where Anna wouldn’t experience as much sudden movement. Once she was able to place her two feet onto the ground, with Anna on her lap, Elsa lifted the girl up into her arms, having one arm around the middle of her back and the other right behind her knees. Anna’s head leaned against Elsa’s shoulder. _

_ Gerda smiled at the competitor. “Right this way, Ms. Snow.” _

_ Elsa nodded her head, following the head maid out of the library, away from the West Wing of the castle and towards the East Wing.  _

_ Elsa would occasionally glance down at the girl as she walked towards the East Wing following Gerda. They eventually reached a room that was on the opposite end of where Anna’s room was while Elsa was still living in the castle. _

_ Waiting outside of Anna’s room was a tired Kristoff leaning against the wall. When he turned his head at the sound of footsteps, his eyes widened at the sight in front of him. _

_ Elsa could clearly see the flash of jealousy that ran through his brown irises for a millisecond. _

_ Gerda only hummed as she arrived at the door and bowed her head. “Good evening, Sir Kristoff.” _

_ “Good evening.” Kristoff said, his brown eyes briefly glancing at Gerda before focusing back onto Elsa and Anna. _

_ “I found Queen Anna in one of the libraries. It seems that she has fallen asleep, but thankfully, this young lady was with her.” _

_ Kristoff nodded his head. “Ah, yes. Elena Snow, right?” _

_ Elsa only nodded her head. _

_ “You had a good round today.” _

_ “Thank you.” Elsa replied. Kristoff only nodded his head before turning on his heel. _

_ “Thanks for finding the Queen. I will head off to bed now. Good night.” _

_ “Good night Sir Kristoff.” Gerda bidded as she opened the Queen’s chambers. Kristoff walked away from the party, his footsteps echoing in the empty hallways. _

_ “Well, if you could please put Anna on the bed, that would be really helpful.” _

_ Elsa only nodded her head, walking past the head maid who was waiting at the door. Elsa ascended towards the bed and gingerly placed the Queen down. She placed the covers over her body and tucked her in. _

_ “E-Elsa.” _

_ The Sigil froze as she stared down at the girl with wide eyes. Anna only smacked her lips as she fidgeted slightly on the bed. Elsa waited, anticipating for the girl to awaken, but instead, she turned on her side and lightly snored once again. _

_ The competitor turned on her heel and walked back towards Gerda, who had a sympathetic smile on her face. When Elsa completely stepped into the hallway, the head maid closed the door. _

_ “Thank you again for taking Anna back to her room.” _

_ “It’s no problem.” _

_ “I’m sorry that you were put in the situation.” _

_ “It’s no problem at all, don’t worry about it.” _

_ Gerda sighed. She took another glance at the competitor before shaking her head and looking down at the ground with a smile. _

_ “You look like her.” _

_ Elsa froze. _

_ Gerda offered the girl a small smile. “I’m sorry, but you do look like her first Protector: same color hair, blue eyes, pale skin.” Gerda’s eyes shifted around Elsa’s hair and shoulders. “The only difference is that your hair is a bit more longer and wavier, but maybe that’s because we never saw Elsa with her hair down. Besides that, you have a much bigger build than Elsa.” _

_ Gerda stepped up to look deep into Elsa’s blue eyes. The Sigil shifted a bit uncomfortably. _

_ “Now that I look closer, your eyes are a bit more lighter than Elsa’s. Not significantly, but only slightly. Of course, it has been five years since I have seen her.” _

_ The head maid stepped back and offered Elsa another smile. “Of course, if I am going to be honest with you, her Majesty does gravitate towards people with the same features as her past lover.” _

_ Elsa froze again as the head maid looked down at the ground somberly. _

_ “Anna puts up a face, but ever since the Attack on Arendelle, the young girl has never been the same.” _

_ “I’ve heard of how there were many before though.” Gerda sighed. _

_ “Many before?” Elsa asked, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. _

_ “Yes, many before. To think that blonde hair and blue eyes such that of Elsa’s was uncommon seemed to have been false to the Queen. Elsa would always be on her mind, and so, when she would travel, there would always be a girl with blue eyes and blonde hair that the Queen would always mistaken for her past lover.” _

_ “Oh.” Elsa replied softly, _

_ Gerda shook her head. “But don’t worry, I’m sure that you are different from Elsa.” _

_ With that, the head maid bowed her head. “Thank you so much for your help again. I can escort you out, Ms. Snow.” _

_ Elsa, still processing the information, only nodded her head as the head maid led her through the castle and back to the courtyard. _

“Earth to Elena? You there?” 

Elsa snapped out of her trance when she saw Eric looking at her confusingly. He held a cup of coffee in each hand.

Elsa nodded her head, running a hand through her tresses. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Cool.” Eric smiled. The man extended one of the cups to the girl. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” Elsa said, accepting the warm cup from his grasp.

The sounds of gasps and abrupt greetings echoed within the air. Both Elsa and Eric turned their heads towards where the commotion was coming from - the chocolate stand.

The Queen of Arendelle was accompanied by the Captain of the Royal Guard. It seemed that she was ordering something from the chocolate shop. 

She looked a bit more exhausted than usual. Her facial features screamed exhaustion with her eyes droopy and bags decorating the underside of her teal eyes. The Queen would send a small smile towards those who greeted her as she waited for the man who ran the chocolate shop.

The owner handed Anna a small cup as well as a little box that held three truffles. The Queen thanked the shop owner before turning to face down the alleyway. 

The Queen’s eyes widened when she noticed Elena Snow in front of one of the many shops in this alleyway. Elsa’s gaze met the Queen’s and it seemed that all time froze for her. Even though Anna was in her usual attire but looked more disheveled, she always had the capability to freeze everything around the Sigil.

Before either could make a move, Anna’s attention was quickly called for by another elderly citizen, who greeted the Queen and started a conversation with her. 

Elsa snapped out of her daze and turned her attention back to Eric, who was only smirking at the competitor. The Sigil rolled her eyes and took a sip of her coffee.

“I’m going to head out for my round.”

“I’ll come along!”

Elsa, starting to become more accustomed with Eric’s presence, only nodded her head before walking with Olaf out of the alley and back towards the entrance of the forest. Eric followed along, humming his own tune as he took occasional sips of his own coffee and bites of his waffle. 

Elsa eventually reached the field where her next round would take place. Gaston and his entourage, which seemed to have slightly increased in size, were already occupying one side of the field, laughing and joking with one another.

Elsa walked towards the other side of the field, seeking out a sturdy tree to tie Olaf to. Eric continued humming his tune as he watched his friend’s blue eyes dart from tree to tree.

When the Sigil finally spotted a sturdy tree nearby, she made her way towards it with leash in hand. Although, right when she stepped out of the boundaries of the arena, but before she could advance away from the arena, the sounds of gasps resonated within the air. 

Elsa sighed, a feeling in the pit of her stomach told her exactly who it was. When Elsa turned around, she noticed Queen Anna and Kristoff making their way towards her arena. Blue met teal again just like yesterday, but this time, the gaze held more weight to it due to last night’s events.

Queen Anna offered a small smile to Gaston and his entourage before making her way towards Elsa. The competitor stood with leash in hand while the white wolf’s hazel eyes brightened up, his tail wagging excitedly at the incoming friend that he had made yesterday.

When Anna stood in front of Elsa, a small blush decorated her cheeks when she realized how she had directly gone to Elena. Elsa only tilted her head to the side in confusion. Meanwhile, Olaf released a bark of joy at his new friend.

Anna looked down at the wolf, smiling fondly at him as Olaf’s tail wagged even further. Instead of putting his paws on Anna’s shoulder, much like how Olaf would treat Elsa, the wolf waited patiently for the Queen to give him attention.

Anna giggled, bending down to pet the top of the wolf’s head. Olaf barked again in approval before he leaned forward and gave Anna a huge lick on her cheek.

“Olaf, no.” Elsa scolded.

The pup, hearing his partner’s command, slightly retreated from the Queen before whimpering and gazing up at his owner with puppy dog eyes.

Elsa only rolled her eyes at the pup. “I am not falling for that again.”

The pup only continued to stare up at his partner. Anna watched the interaction between the two, watching the wolf continue to stare up at its partner while Elena was looking anywhere but at the wolf. The wolf got on its hind legs and placed its frontal paws on Elena’s shoulders.

The competitor didn’t stumble from the sudden weight that was put upon her, as if she was expecting the wolf to do that. The wolf continued to look at its partner with puppy dog eyes while Elena continued to look anywhere but at the wolf.

Olaf leaned forward and gave Elsa’s face a large lick, causing the blonde to immediately turn her attention towards the wolf.

“Olaf!” 

The wolf, intentionally ignoring its partner, continued its assault of licks on its partner as it leaned more of its weight forward onto the blonde. Elsa only giggled, holding onto the frontal paws of the wolf as she was assaulted by licks. 

“Olaf, stop it!” 

The wolf only released a playful bark before giving his partner another lick. Elsa took a step back while the wolf’s paws slipped from his partner’s shoulders back to the ground.

Queen Anna, watching the entire interaction, smiled softly at the pair. Elsa glanced back at the tree, and Anna immediately picked up at what the competitor’s next action was.

“I can hold onto him for you if you would want me to?”

Elsa turned her attention back towards the Queen who had her hand extended out. Elsa looked down at the hand and at the chain leash. “Are you sure you can handle it?”

Anna rolled her eyes. “I’m sure. I did last time, didn’t I?”

“I don’t want you to feel obligated or waste your time… I’m sure you have other things to do.”

“I don’t mind. I have allotted free time to watch the rounds anyways.”

Anna reached over, causing their fingers to graze against one another again. Elsa, who felt electricity shoot through her veins, tried her best not to flinch from the touch. The competitor handed off the leash to the Queen before offering her a small smile. 

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” Anna looked down at Olaf, who was gazing up at her with his tongue out, bright eyes and tail wagging excitedly. Anna looked back at the competitor, looking into blue eyes. “Good luck.”

Elsa gave Anna a cheeky smile. “Thanks!”

As Elsa turned to prepare herself on the field, Anna’s cheek flushed again at the smile that the competitor had given her. Meanwhile, Gaston leered at the interaction that unfolded between the Queen and his foe.

“You done being friendly to the Queen?”

Elsa settled herself on her side of the field before placing her hand on the hilt of her sword. The girl raised an eyebrow at Gaston. “Are you ready for the round?”

Gaston scoffed. “I won’t go easy on you this time.”

Elsa only shrugged her shoulders, taking her sword out of its sheath. The white snowflake guard contrasted the deep, dark colors of the forest while the shiny steel glinted in the sunlight.

“You think you can be a wannabe of the Sigil of Arendelle, but you are no comparison to her if you can’t win against me.”

Elsa rolled her eyes. “I’m ready.”

Gaston huffed and pulled his sword out of its sheath. “I’m ready as well.”

Kirstoff was the one to start the match, placing his hand up in the air.

“Match start.” the captain of the royal guard swung his hand down, signaling the start of the match.

Elsa stood her ground, her sword up and her eyes patiently waiting for Gaston to make the first move. The man took two steps forward and one step back, slowly inching his way towards his enemy.

Meanwhile, Elsa stayed in her spot, unmoving and waiting for Gaston to make his first attack. The man lost his patience and immediately lunged forward at his opponent. Elsa swiftly side stepped his attack. The man continued his quick jabs and lunges, but Elsa’s fluid movements had dodged each and every single attempt. 

Gaston released another frustrated huff. He continued each and every attack while Elsa dodged them effortlessly without breaking a sweat. Her dodges mimicked that of a dance, as she continued stepping and moving and angling her body.

The match continued on, but the Sigil never dared to attack. It was only until Gaston was standing with staggered breaths that Elsa had immediately slid to the right and slashed down on his sword. The exhausted man had lost his grip on the sword as it fell out of his grasp. 

Elsa brought her own sword inches away from Gaston’s neck while the man stood with wide eyes and chest heaving. The Sigil retracted her sword before turning to walk back towards her side of the field.

Gaston growled at how he had lost from someone who merely dodged his attacks. The man looked to his right to see the Queen’s eyes focused on his foe, the teal glinting with curiosity, awe and admiration.

It made Gaston’s blood boil.

The man quickly picked up his sword and with all of his energy, ran straight towards his retreating foe who had her back faced to him. No one said a word as all eyes widened and stared in shock while Gaston ran towards Elsa.

He immediately lunged forward, planning to pierce the girl from behind her. Although, the Sigil immediately jumped as he lunged forward. Elsa placed her feet in the middle of Gaston’s back and exerted force in a way that slammed him into the ground. Dirt and dust shot up in the air as the man had hit the ground. 

Elsa stood on top of him, her blue eyes looking down pitifully at the man behind her snowflake mask. The Sigil placed her boot on his head as the man groaned at the pressure.

“The second match hasn’t started yet. Even then, don’t run at me thinking you can ambush me if you sound like a stampede of elephants.”

Gaston only groaned in response. Elsa hopped off of the man before continuing to walk back towards her side of the field.

Eric was the first to speak up. “That should count as a second match done.”

All eyes turned to the black-haired man who had a wide grin on his face. “Gaston got back up and attacked Elena. He was definitely ready for the next round.”

“Blasphemy! Elena wasn’t ready.” Gaston growled. 

“But she still beat you. She reacted and you had the advantage but still lost.”

“And how did she win?” The volume of Gaston’s voice raised, causing eyes from other fields and onlookers to turn towards them.

“She disarmed you and could have easily snapped your neck.”

“He does make a point.” Kristoff supported.

Gaston shook his head, his body trembling in rage. “There’s no possible way! That would be unfair.”

“It wouldn’t be unfair. You had the advantage. I think that deems the second round to be given to Elena.” Kristoff logically reasoned.

The man’s trembles intensified. “Fine!” His eyes glared at Elena who was inspecting her sword. “She will need it anyways!” 

Kristoff nodded his head. “Are both competitors ready?”

“I’m ready!” Gaston yelled.

Elsa stopped inspecting her sword and held it in fighting position. “Ready.”

“Start!” 

Gaston stood with stiff posture, waiting for Elsa to make a move. The Sigil’s eyes narrowed when Gaston’s brown eyes had swiftly moved from herself to Anna. In the brief second that his gaze was diverted, Elsa cut the distance between herself and Gaston in half. 

Gaston quickly looked back at Elsa, keeping his sword up while he took another step back. The Sigil took another step forward and Gaston followed with another step back.

Elsa rolled her blue eyes behind her mask before instantly eliminating the distance between herself and Gaston. She swung her sword down and Gaston deflected it. Elsa continued her quick assaults, and Gaston was barely able to block each and every attack. 

The Sigil noticed that the man couldn’t block her attack aimed at his shoulder, so she quickly angled her sword so that the blunt part hit his shoulder. She swung it towards him until the blade was inches away from his neck once again.

“It was nice dueling against you.” Elsa finished, retracting her sword away from his neck and sheathing it back in. “I hope you have a nice day.”

Elsa turned and made her way towards Queen Anna and Olaf. It was only when she had taken a few steps was when Gaston’s voice boomed in the air. 

“No!”

The Sigil paused where she stood with her back still faced to Gaston. Gaston had ripped his mask off of his face, his boot stepped upon the mask and his finger pointing at the Sigil, shaking in anger.

“I refuse to believe that I lost against a woman! Having the first fight be a sword-fighting one is ridiculous. I bet you can’t take me or my boys on once I have my specialized weapon!” 

Gaston’s entourage nodded their heads, snickering. Elsa still stood in her spot, unmoving as the defeated foe continued on. “In fact, give me my bow.”

One of the men tossed Gaston a quiver of arrows and a bow. The man caught it effortlessly before withdrawing an arrow and aiming it right at the Sigil.

“Fight me with my actual weapon! And this time, don’t hold back.”

Elsa sighed, shaking her head as she turned around. The Sigil noticed that all of the men had jumped onto the field with swords and bows, ready to pounce at her.

“The fight is over. You have lost.” Elsa replied calmly.

Gaston shook his head. “The fight isn’t over until I say that it’s over.”

“That’s not fair!” Eric yelled from the sidelines. “It’s twelve of you versus one of her.”

“Then join her.” one of Gaston’s men hissed. “Even with you as an addition, I’m sure that you can’t win against any of us. All you do is dance around your enemies.”

Eric huffed. “Fine!” The fisherman hopped onto the field and withdrew his sword. “If you’re going to hurt her, you have to get through me first.”

“Now, now, there’s no need to fight. The round is over.” Kristoff said, walking onto the battlefield from the sidelines. “Please put your weapons down.”

“Get out of the way, Captain. We are giving you a warning now to not be in the crossfire.”

Kristoff looked at the man who talked. “Is that a threat?”

“We just want to put these two competitors in their place, thinking they are better than us! I have my real weapon, and there is no way she can win.” Gaston snarled.

“We don’t have to rash here.” Krisstoff tried to reason.

“We warned you! Boys, attack!” 

The men started charging towards Elsa while Gaston and a few others fired their bows towards Kristoff, Elsa and Eric. Elsa dodged each arrow effortlessly before withdrawing her sword and parrying each attack that was slashed against her. 

Eric also dodged the arrows before lunging forward to help Elsa with a few of the swordsmen. Meanwhile, Kristoff lunged forward to stop Gaston from shooting their arrows. A growl was heard behind them as Olaf sprinted away from Anna and towards the swordsmen that were attacking his partner.

The swordsmen kept flaying their swords about as Eric and Elsa parried and dodged each and every attack. Arrows was an incoming occurrence to which Eric would dodge them while Elsa would deflect them with her sword. Gaston and Kristoff were brawling against each other, each of them holding onto Gaston’s bow. 

The commotion attracted the attention of those around them. Everyone was so focused on the three competitors and Kristoff that no one ever noticed the negligence of the archers and their arrows. 

It all happened so suddenly. Kristoff was still wrestling against Gaston, Eric was still dancing around the battlefield as he dodged each arrow and sword attack and Elsa was parrying each attack that was thrown at her. No one noticed the carelessness of the arrow that flew towards the Queen’s direction. No one noticed until it was a second away from her. The Queen herself didn’t notice the arrow until it was flying straight towards her.

Anna’s teal eyes widened as she didn’t know what to do. Her reaction time wasn’t fast enough, and as the arrow came flying straight towards her, she was only able to move slightly where it would pierce her shoulder rather than her chest. 

The Queen squeezed her eyes shut while she moved, ready to brace the pain. She released a small scream of terror while the arrow came flying. The sound of her scream caught the attention of everyone else and gasps echoed within the air of the forest.

Instead of feeling the arrow pierce her shoulder and the sound of steel penetrating flesh, the feeling of a gush of wind and the sound of metal against metal was heard.

_ Clink _

Another round of gasps. Anna’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The Queen’s tightly clenched eyes started to relax as she peeked one open.

In front of her stood an individual with platinum-blonde hair cascading down her back. One of their hands were in front of them, holding a sword while the other was extended out, as if it was protecting the Queen from any other projectiles. The arrow was on the ground, the sharp metal part bent from the impact that it had made to whatever had deflected it. 

The skirmishes on the battlefield had stopped. All of the men that were on the field, especially the archers, cowered in fear. Kristoff’s facade was full of shock while Eric and Gaston’s faces paled at the sight in front of them.

Anna watched as Elena stood straight up and sheathed her sword. The Queen couldn’t see it, but everyone else who wasn’t behind the Sigil could.

Cold, blue eyes that could freeze up anyone glared at those on the battlefield. It didn’t reflect reckless anger but threat. Those eyes glowed with power and strength, as if it was unafraid to single-handedly take the life of those in front of it. Those eyes were lifeless.

“Watch where you’re shooting next time or I’ll cut your hands off.” Elena’s icy, cold voice echoed within the air that even caused the Queen to shiver in response. 

The men didn’t reply. 

“You all are reckless and stupid to think that your projectiles wouldn’t have hurt someone else. Apologize.”

The men were still frozen in their state. Kristoff was the first to rush towards Anna’s side, checking to see if the Queen was okay. 

Elsa’s fist clenched, but the competitor didn’t turn around. She knew the effects that Anna would have on her if she did. She knew how her eyes would soften in concern, how she would become exposed and the possibility of Anna actually recognizing her.

Instead of turning her attention to Kristoff and Anna, Elsa walked forward towards the archers that were still frozen in their state. In a swift movement, Elsa unsheathed her sword and slashed meticulously at the archers. The archers watched as their bows split into two in their grasps and how the sword of the competitor barely grazed against their skin, drawing blood from its path in splitting the bows in two.

Without turning, Elsa spoke. “Control your men, Gaston. Their reckless actions are a reflection of your discipline and training to them. You didn’t deserve to win, and the next time you or any of your men hurt or endanger anyone else with me around, know that I won’t be as merciful.”

With that, Elsa turned around and walked away from the stunned crowd and the battlefield. All eyes watched Elena’s retreating figure with Olaf following closely behind. 

Throughout that entire time, all Anna could do was stare at the retreating figure. Kristoff’s voice of concern was droned out as Elena walked away from her victorious round. Although her demeanor had drastically changed and was different from the mysterious one from last night, Anna wanted to know more. 

Elena was different from Elsa, that Anna knew. Elsa was never cold, she was never mysterious or as charismatic as Elena was. Even though they had similar features, they were opposites from each other. 

And that’s what drew Anna in much more.

* * *

Elsa sighed again, leaning her back against the couch of the library that she had decided to visit once more. It was the second night of the competition, marking a fourth of the competitors as victorious, a fourth as a complete loss to the competition and the remaining half still pending for tomorrow’s rounds to come.

Elsa, being part of the fourth that had won their rounds, would be waiting until the second stage of the competition would arise. In the meantime, the Sigil was planning to stay on the down-low. In fact, she didn’t want to attract as much attention, but of course, with the commotion that had undergone earlier that day, her name was bound to be echoed throughout the Kingdom.

Or her fake pseudonym. 

Another sigh. The sun had already set. After her round was over, Elsa quickly made her way towards the townsquare to grab some food for the night before making her home in the library that she was occupied in the night before. Before making the library her habitat, Elsa had released Olaf into a secluded part of the woods, allowing the wolf to roam free for the remainder of the night.

The Sigil stood up and walked away from the couch and towards the third tier of the library. She stood in front of the floor to ceiling glass pane, gazing forward to see the view of the vast ocean. The waves were crashing against the shore below while the stars glinted brightly in the sky to complement the moon. 

Elsa sighed again, wondering what the remainder of her team was doing. She wondered if Aladdin ever improved on his banana bread recipe, or if they had ever finished their game of charades to dictate the winner best of three. 

It has only been four days since Elsa had left the Kingdom of Silva for this indefinitely long mission, and yet, she still missed and thought about her teammates - her second family. The Sigil shook her head in admonishment at herself.

“Funny how you miss someone, and once you’re here with them, you start missing your second family.”

The Sigil continued to look out in the distance. “Too bad the universe hates me.”

“Why would you think that?”

Elsa quickly turned around, her platinum-blonde hair swishing from the movement as her eyes landed on Queen Anna. The Queen stood at the front of the door on the first tier, her hair in twin braids with a green nightgown and black coat over her shoulders. Looking at Anna threw Elsa back to years before she left Arendelle, before everything happened… when everything was once peaceful and stress-free.

When she didn’t have the weight of the world on her shoulders.

“Why would I think what?” Elsa was quick to reply.

Anna rolled her teal eyes before ascending the stairs. The Queen approached slowly, taking step by step up from the first tier to the second tier then to the third. Throughout her entire ascension, Anna never replied to the question that the competitor had asked. Elsa’s blue eyes followed the Queen’s movements until she stood in front of the Sigil, a small and warm smile on her face.

“Why would you think that the universe hates you?”

Elsa sighed. “So you heard that?”

“Of course I did.”

Anna stared at the competitor. Elsa, in response, turned around so that her back faced the Queen as she continued to stare out into the distance and up at the sky. The competitor didn’t reply with a single word. Her lack of response caused Anna’s smile to falter, but it didn’t stop the girl from leaving. Instead, the Queen stood next to Elsa. Anna took a quick glance at the competitor, who’s gaze was still transfixed outside, before she looked into the depths beyond the West Wing Library.

“Fine, ignore my question.”

Elsa didn’t respond. Her gaze was fixated out into the horizon. Anna continued looking ahead, pretending that the lack of response from the competitor didn’t bother her. The Queen started to fidget, rocking back and forth against her feet as she continued to stare out.

She wondered what had changed. Was last night with the competitor not a heart to heart moment? Was she not the one that took her back to her chambers? She recalls Gerda stating the name ‘Elena’ as the individual that assisted her back. Was Anna crying in front of her too much? Too overwhelming?

Anna snuck a glance at the girl who continued to focus onto the horizon, her mind in deep thought as her eyes were half blanking out. Does she not deal with people crying well? Does she not deal well with emotions in general? With anything related to feelings at all? That’s not possible… she was so kind to her yesterday and was so sympathetic. She was so passionate about her second family, the people she befriended and grew up with. Yet earlier today, there was a different side of her. A much colder, stoic side. A side that emitted a threatening aura.

“Thank you for today.” Anna decided to speak up in a soft and low voice.

“What are you thanking me for?” Elsa’s velvety voice echoed within the empty library.

“For saving my life.”

Elsa shook her head. “I just did what I would have done if you were anyone else.”

Anna tucked a strand of her strawberry-blonde hair behind her ear. “But I really appreciate it… a lot.”

“Just doing what I would usually do.”

Silence again. Anna took a small glance at the competitor who continued to gaze in the ocean and the stars in the sky.

“Are you thinking about your friends?”

At first, the competitor didn’t move or reply. Anna was about to give up, to leave the library and give the competitor some space until she detected a small nod. A small but somber smile made its way towards the competitor’s lips.

“You don’t really know what you miss until it’s actually gone.”

Anna resonated with that statement in some sense. She always missed Elsa, even if she was only on the other side of the castle to train. Although, the events that played out during the past five years have definitely done a toll on the Queen herself.

“So you think about them as you gaze up at the stars?”

Elsa nodded her head. “Since I’ve been here and away from them.”

Anna smiled warmly at the competitor. “I’m sure that you’ll see them soon. Maybe they could swing by Arendelle as the competition progresses?”

Elsa sighed. “Maybe.”

“I mean, why wouldn’t they?”

“Well, they are busy. We don’t live in luxury where we could take vacations after all.” Elsa replied.

“I mean, I wouldn’t mind housing them in the castle or providing them a room if they do come.”

Suddenly, blue eyes swiftly turned to meet teal ones. Those blue eyes weren’t cold as Anna had expected, but instead, they were a bit mellow and had less of a shine. And for some reason, that bothered Anna a bit more than if it were cold.

“I don’t expect you to tell me everything, and I’m sorry that I became an emotional wreck yesterday, but I know that there’s something on your mind, isn’t there?”

Elsa shook her head again. “They won’t be able to come even if you were to provide them with the proper living situations. Our situation back at home is complicated.”

“Complicated in what way? I would think that the Kingdom of Corona is peaceful, is it not?”

“It is for the most part. It’s just that we struggle as a living, and there’s so much back at home with responsibilities and all that we can’t just leave.”

Anna nodded her head. “I see. Well, if you ever want to talk about it…” The competitor’s blue eyes shifted to the ground. “I’m here to talk whenever you need me to.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t. You’re very busy already, Your Majesty; my burdens are not your responsibility.”

Anna quickly shook her head. “Elena, I would hope that we have some kind of friendship after the past couple of days. I just want to let you know that I’m here to listen if you need to talk to someone.”

Elsa released another sigh again. “Thank you for the offer and concern.”

“It’s no problem.” Anna smiled. “Also…” Anna nervously fidgeted on her feet, her eyes downcasted towards the ground. “I was wondering if you would want to just hang out? Continue to talk?”

Elsa sighed. The reason why she had holed herself in the library was to avoid everyone. She wasn’t expecting company to come, but here Anna stood, as if she was expecting her to be here. It was also too early in the night for Elsa to go back to her room; by doing so, she would be attracting the attention of the citizens and competitors, especially after today’s events. 

“Sure. I have nowhere else to be.”

Anna’s eyes lightened up as a smile made its home upon her lips. The younger girl’s eyes darted to the couch before looking back to meet blue.

“Want to take a seat?”

Elsa nodded her head in response. The Queen smiled at the competitor before leading the way by heading first to the couch. The blonde followed in suit, trailing behind hesitantly as she watched Anna’s small, retreating form in her black coat.

When Anna took her respectful seat in the corner of the couch, Elsa sat far away from her. The competitor placed her hands on her lap with her body faced forward. Anna balled her form to fit comfortably in the crevice of the couch.

Elsa’s blue eyes looked around the library as she felt teal eyes pierce into her soul from a few feet away.

_ What am I supposed to say? What am I supposed to do? _

“How has the competition been?”

Elsa sighed, her blue eyes still straying away from the inquisitive, teal ones. “It has been okay.”

“How are you faring against the other competitors?”

Elsa released a low and wry chuckle. “I’d say that they aren’t all as top notch as they think they are. In fact, there are some that are airheaded imbeciles.”

Anna’s eyebrows furrowed upward in confusion. “What about Eric?”

“Eric isn’t the worst out of them all, but he still has a lot to improve on.”

“You shouldn’t talk about a friend like that.”

“I speak the truth.” Elsa said coldly. “He is a kind individual and has a proper brain compared to most of the competitors. His problem is his reliance on his stamina and studying behavior. Sure, he has gotten far and has been able to easily cut down his enemies, but that’s all reliant on how he has read them and his stamina. If he ever misreads anyone, his defense may not anticipate it.”

“Wouldn’t you want what’s best for Eric? Wouldn’t you support him and stand by his current performance?”

“I do want what’s best for Eric, and what’s best for Eric is for him to realize that he shouldn’t be heavily reliant on what he currently has. He shouldn’t be content with where he is right now, even if it works.”

Anna stared at the competitor, her eyes blinking. Elsa only sighed, turning her head so that her strict, blue eyes met with the confused teal ones.

“You should never be satisfied and content with where you’re at. You should always push yourself to be better, to get better, to do better.”

Confidence exuded through every word that she had said as she maintained eye contact with the Queen. Anna felt a chill go down her spine as Elsa continued to maintain their eye contact.

“Never be satisfied with what you have now. What’s the fun in life if you’re always stagnant because you’re content with everything?”

Anna nodded her head, immediately breaking her eye contact with the competitor as her teal eyes glanced down at the ground in intimidation. This competitor was far from her Elsa.

Elena was someone who would never be satisfied with anything it seems. The competitor, who was once talking passionately about her second family the night before, also had a side to her that was critical and austere. Elsa, although quiet and reserved, was always so kind to other individuals. Everytime they would go out to the town square, Anna would recognize how Elsa would always bow her head to the elders or offer small smiles to the younger children of the Kingdom.

Elsa was timid but warmth with a nurturing aspect. She was the sun that provided light all the time, someone who was always stable and never really impulsive or impetuous. 

Elena… Elena wasn’t that, or at least this Elena that stood in front of Anna wasn’t. Elena was charismatic, mysterious and cold. She was like the moon in the night sky, hiding thousands of secrets but somehow having a charming, sociable aspect that can sweep anyone off their feet.

“But that is my opinion.” Those words broke through Anna’s trance. The Queen’s teal eyes glanced up to see Elena run a hand through her platinum-blonde tresses.

“Some people, or most of the competitors in this competition, value strength. In fact, I’m sure that your council prefers for your future Protector to be strong. This strength that people value is mostly thought to be in terms of physical strength. Although, strength can come in different ways and channels. I think physical strength is a great asset, but I value strength in an individual’s mental state.”

“Like intelligence?”

“Not necessarily intelligence, but more so resilience. If you can easily be broken down, your mentality is weak. When your mentality is weak, you are subdued to all your other skills and actions; therefore, in order to even improve anything else, such as physical strength or intelligence, you must have a strength in your mentality.”

With that, Elena stood up from her seat. Without batting an eye to the Queen, the Sigil made her way towards the exit of the library.

“Curfew is going to start soon, so I must depart.” Elena opened the door of the library. The competitor turned her head to take a small glance at the Queen. 

Anna’s eyes widened when she saw the brutal, cold blue eyes that didn’t necessarily come into contact with her teal ones. From where Anna sat, she saw a clear view of Elena’s side profile. 

She was perfect, majestic and omnipotent. Her eyes glowed a bright, intimidating blue. Her pale face was defined and stood out even in the dim lighting of the library while her platinum-blonde hair still flowed beautifully and immaculately down her back. Her black mask was the only dark tone to her figure.

“Do not be satisfied with where you are, Your Majesty. Have a good night.”

Without giving the Queen a chance to bid her farewell, Elena left the library and down the hall.

And all Anna could do was sit in her spot, having those bidding words echo within her head.

_ Do not be satisfied with where you are. _

As Elsa walked down the silent and dim halls of the castle, she passed by some of the maids and guards, whose eyes would flash at her dangling pass around her neck before continuing on with their night.

_ I don’t have to compete tomorrow which would mean I would have a free day. Maybe I could spend the time scoping out other competitors. _

_ But on the off chance that I encounter Anna or Eric… _

Elsa shook her head of her initial thought as she continued to walk down the hallway.

_ Maybe I can train early in the morning and then stay in my room until the following day afterwards. Word of me after today has probably spread throughout the kingdom like a wildfire by now anyways. _

Elsa’s footsteps against the hallway was the only sound that echoed within the air as she approached the exit of the castle. When the Sigil had stepped foot outside and felt the cool, brisk air against her skin, she heard a voice she wasn’t expecting to hear.

“Elena Snow.”

The competitor turned her head to the right to come face to face with brown eyes and dirty blonde hair. Kristoff sat on the ledge near the entrance of the castle. The man raised his eyebrow at the girl.

“What brings you to be in the castle at this time?”

Elsa’s blue eyes narrowed at the Captain of the Royal Guard.

Kristoff continued staring at the competitor, waiting for her to reply to his response. 

“I can’t go to the library?”

Kristoff chuckled, shaking his head as his blonde bangs followed with each shake. “For your first two nights in Arendelle?”

Elsa didn’t reply. Her brother looked up at her. “Wouldn’t you want to explore the Kingdom?”

“I have a lot of time in the future to explore it.”

“You think you’ll make it that far?” Kristoff asked amusedly.

“I know I will.”

Kristoff chuckled again. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you did. What you had done today was impressive.”

“Thanks.”

“In fact, I never really thanked you for that. Thank you for stepping in to deflect that arrow.”

“Someone has to do their job.”

Kristoff didn’t really take offense to that. The Captain of the Royal Guard only raised his eyebrow at the masked competitor. “Well, there has to be a reason why my job as the Queen’s Protector is being rescinded, right?”

Elsa wasn’t exactly sure what to say to that. Was her brother admitting how he wasn’t qualified enough to protect Anna? The thought only made Elsa’s jaw clench.

_ He was supposed to get stronger while I was gone. He was supposed to take my place to be her Protector, to be better than me. _

“Queen Anna has been intrigued about you lately.”

The statement which her brother had said caused Elsa’s full and immediate attention to be focused on him. Kristoff, who noticed the drilling, cold blue eyes stare right into his soul, only emitted another chuckle.

“That got your attention, but it is true. I’m sure that you have heard, or you will soon.”

This caused Elsa’s blue eyes to narrow at the man. Kristoff, noticing the competitor’s eyes narrow, looked back with confusion etched across his facade. “You haven’t heard?”

“Heard what?”

“You have similar features to her first Protector, my sister.”

“I have heard of that from Gerda.” Elsa started.

“What else did Gerda tell you?”

“She really only told me that I looked like her first Protector, the infamous Elsa Winters.”

Kristoff chuckled. “So you haven’t heard much then.”

“Is there something you need to tell me?”

Kristoff sighed. “You’ll figure it out eventually, and knowing that your stay in Arendelle because of the competition will be quite some time, I figured that I would save you the confusion once the gossip floats within the air.”

Elsa continued to stare at her younger brother, noticing how his mood changed to distress. Her younger brother leaned his back against the wall, his brown eyes staring straight into the blue ones solemnly.

“You’re not the only one that looks like her. There have been others before.”

Elsa’s posture stiffened. Others? What did Kristoff mean by others? As in others that Anna has shown interest in? Others that looked like Elsa? Gerda did mention last night about other people Anna had mistaken for Elsa.

“In the past five years, Anna has always mistaken others for her past lover. The Queen’s Protector was her childhood love, her first love and possibly the only person she still loves now to this day, even after five years.”

“Your older sister?”

Kristoff nodded his head. “Correct. Although, after the Attack on Arendelle, Elsa disappeared to never come back. From the attack to this day, her mentor, the Spymaster of Arendelle, and Queen Anna have always believed that she’s still alive and out there. Yet, if she was still alive, wouldn’t you think she would come back?”

The way that Kristoff had finished that sentence gave Elsa the feeling that Kristoff held resentment. Kristoff was bitter about something, whether if it was Elsa not coming back or Anna’s infinite love for her, she wasn’t exactly sure.

Kristoff continued, the bitterness in his voice less prominent from when he finished his last sentence. “Anyways, throughout the past five years, whether if it was within the Kingdom of Arendelle or while Anna was out visiting other Kingdoms, it seemed that Elsa always haunted her wherever she went. If there was anyone that had some sort of similar, physical feature to Elsa, Anna was always drawn to them. You would think that platinum-blonde hair as of Elsa’s would be uncommon, but it really wasn’t.”

“When there were people with these similar features as Anna’s first Protector, the Queen would be immediately drawn to the individual. Anna would talk to them, learn more about them and give them more attention in hopes that it was Elsa… or maybe, if she truly wanted to move on, would be someone that can be up to par to Elsa’s physical features.”

“It’s never gotten too bad. There was only one occurrence where Anna was so delusional to the point where she continuously pawned after someone that she thought was Elsa but was only a citizen of another Kingdom.” Kristoff’s brown eyes casted away from Elena’s and ahead into the night. 

“I just wanted to give you a warning, Elena. I understand that Anna has given an unusual amount of attention to you, and I’m sure that you just left the library where she probably is staying at right now. I want to make sure that you know the reasons why she has gotten so comfortable with you, and I want to save both you and her the trouble. Just because you look like Elsa doesn’t mean that you should take advantage of that. Don’t think that she‘s interested in you merely for you, but because in the end, you have similar features to that of her first love.”

Elsa’s jaw clenched further as her hands balled into fists. Kristoff picked up on her hands clenching. The Captain of the Royal Guard hopped off of the ledge and turned his body so that he was standing side to side of the competitor, but facing towards the castle instead of away.

“I’m just speaking the truth, Elena. Anna shouldn’t be gravitated towards you just because you look like Elsa, especially considering that you are a competitor in a competition held by Arendelle. I’m also trying to help you in the long run by letting you know about why the Queen has been so drawn to you. Don’t fall in love with her because you’ll just be second best. You can never take Elsa’s place… no one can.”

With that, Kristoff walked into the castle, leaving a stunned Elsa standing at the entrance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So this is way past overdue, but I am trying to get back into updating as fast as I can! Thanks for reading :)


	23. Good Different

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy! Trying to make the competition move along quickly without hindering the relationship development sooo lets see how it goes hehe

Murmurs echoing and bouncing throughout the brightly lit ballroom was all that Elsa could hear. The moment her light-colored boot stepped onto the spotless, shiny floor of the grand ballroom, an eruption of murmurs and gazes were focused upon her.

The Sigil wasn’t late nor was she early. Through her trainings and refined skills, she was able to pick up on the precise words from even the lowest and quietest of whispers. Although, when she picked up on many of the small murmurs of conversations, she stopped trying to eavesdrop and made her way towards one of the tables that was decorated with food on the far right side of the room.

Elsa, still donned in her usual attire of her light-blue robe that covered over her white long-sleeve and tights, took long strides from the entrance of the ballroom to the table in order to grab something to eat. As she walked past each individual, she would receive small giggles of girls and women fawning over her and men staring at her in awe.

The attention didn’t faze the ex-Protector.

Once she reached the table, she picked up a small plate and scooped up a spoonful of fruit, a few crackers and some pieces of cheese. A man stood behind the table next to her, his head bowed as he offered the ex-Protector a variety of wines to choose from.

Once Elsa had received her glass in one hand and plate in another, the Sigil turned around to notice eyes, that were once staring at her, quickly avert away. Elsa shook her head and released a small sigh. She brought the wine glass to her lips, closing her eyes and tilting her head back to take a sip of the alcoholic beverage.

Notes of strawberry and oak.

“Elena!”

The mention of her name announced so jubilantly already gave Elsa the idea of who was addressing her. The Sigil fluttered her eyes open to come face to face with a deep, ocean blue pair of eyes underneath a plain, simple golden mask. The man wore his usual white tunic, blue jeans and classic red belt. His smile was as gleeful as usual.

Looking at both Elena and Eric, no one would ever expect them to be a pair of friends from the competition.

“How was your day off yesterday and earlier today?”

Elsa’s icy blue eyes stared at the man before she looked back down at her wine and took another sip, savoring the flavors that hit the buds on her tongue.

“It was alright.”

Eric nodded his head, quickly requesting for a drink from the man. Once he received his glass of red wine, Eric’s eyes scanned the room. “Well, I guess this is everyone that made it past the first round.”

Elsa nodded her head, her own cerulean eyes swiftly scanning the individuals in the ballroom. As usual, those who were competitors had still worn their masks while everyone else were citizens or visitors of other Kingdoms. 

_The number of competitors has definitely decreased, but there’s still so much more people to eliminate. If I were to guess, there’s still about a couple hundred of masked individuals._

The quantity of competitors still in the competition irked Elsa. It irked her because it meant that there were more people to defeat, and still a large amount of individuals that Elsa didn’t have much of a background of.

_More people that can be a threat to Anna._

Elsa shook her head, releasing a small breath as she took another sip of her wine. As she took a sip, all that replayed in her mind was the interaction she had with both Kristoff and Anna two nights ago. 

There were others, others before Elena that Anna had given attention to. The idea left an unsettling feeling in Elsa’s stomach. Yet, even though there were others, it’s not like any of them became serious. The only reason why Anna even went after them was because she always mistaken them for her, because she believed that Elsa was still alive.

She could always go back. She could just meet up with Anna secretly one night and tell her everything - tell her about where she had been the past five years, why she never came back, why she was here, her newfound powers, her true identity. It wouldn’t be hard to grab Anna’s attention and tell her this in secret; the Queen was already giving her much more attention than the other competitors, including the Southern Isles Princes.

But Elsa knew that she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t be selfish, and she couldn’t betray the Sigils or the Kingdom of Silva. She made an oath once she bent down on one knee to the Tree of Life, to King Adam of Silva, to the leader of the Sigils, to the rest of the Sigils. 

She signed up for this life, and she couldn’t do anything to undo the damage that was already done. 

Elsa took another sip of her wine.

“You’re drinking that quick.” Eric eyed his friend and the wine glass in her hand.

“I have a high alcohol tolerance, don’t worry.” Elsa answered, finishing the rest of the wine in her glass before asking the bartender for another refill.

“Just want to make sure you’re in the right state of mind for tonight.”

Elsa received her refill from the bartender. Her blue eyes turned towards Eric, who continued to stare at the competitor. “And why would that matter?”

“I mean, you are still a competitor. Wouldn’t you want to leave a good impression on Queen Anna when she arrives?”

The mention of the Queen made Elsa internally flinch. The memories of two nights before flashed into her mind. How cold she was towards Anna. How she basically berated her for being satisfied with where she was currently at. How she mistreated the girl.

_I had to do it… she’s still hung over Elsa and she needs to realize that Elsa can never come back._

Her harsh but truthful thoughts earned another sip of wine.

Eric shook his head before taking his first sip of wine. “Seems like something went awry. I thought you guys were getting along after the first night in the library?”

Elsa didn’t answer the man. Instead, she eyed her wine for a brief second and then raised her eyes to look around the ballroom. 

The competitors were mingling with one another or with others that occupied the ballroom. Some of the competitors were dancing with women while others were cheering for their first round together. The Southern Isles Princes, sticking out like an eyesore even with their “masked identity”, were talking with other foreign dignitaries.

Elsa shook her head, emitting another sigh before taking another sip of her wine. She didn’t really know what to do in this social setting. Yes, she has gone to countless number of balls and events like these. Heck, she would be rich if you gave her a coin for every event she has gone to. Yet, she never really knew what to do. As an undercover Sigil, when she had gone to these functions, she would always be picking up intel, doing intended tasks and actions that were necessary to get to an end goal. Prior to these functions, she was always at Anna’s side.

She wasn’t sure what to exactly do to act normal in these settings, especially if these balls and functions were going to be an ongoing occurrence if she was planning to stay in the competition in the long run. 

_“Be social, talk and dance with other strangers. It’s that easy.”_ Rapunzel’s words echoed within her mind prior to leaving Silva. 

Elsa shook her head, taking another sip of her wine. 

_If it’s that easy Rapunzel, then why aren’t you doing this undercover mission? Why did Jack think it was a brilliant idea for me to do this mission?_

Shaking her head again, Elsa continued to down her glass of wine. It wasn’t like Elsa wasn’t doing her missions as a Sigil after the whole shipwreck. In fact, it’s not like the attitude of the Sigil had changed… did it?

The sound of trumpets echoed into the ballroom as the ex-Protector continued to be in her thoughts, finishing her wine. 

_My work ethic and my performance hasn’t changed. In fact, I would say that I’m stronger than I ever was before. Becoming a Sigil has changed me, it has made me stronger and capable of much more…. Saving much more lives._

Elsa’s icy blue eyes opened once she finished her wine glass. Conveniently, her blue eyes were in the line of sight of the Queen, who had entered the ballroom in her typical, formal attire of her dark green dress. 

_Being away from Anna for the past five years has changed me._

“Another refill?” the bartender behind her had asked. Elsa turned around, nodding her head much more enthusiastically than expected. The bartender immediately complied, pouring the competitor another glass of wine.

“It is unlimited for the night.”

“Thanks.” Elsa replied, her voice already starting to become a bit raspy from the large amount of acidity that she had consumed in a small period of time.

The bartender nodded his head, a large smile perched upon his face. “No, thank you. I am honored to be able to serve someone like you; I am a very big fan.”

Elsa tilted her head to the side, staring at the smiling bartender. “Big fan?”

The man nodded his head quickly, his cheeks tinted with a light pink. “Well, yes. After the first round, people have picked their favorite competitors after all, hoping to see them advance far. You do have a big fan base, Miss Snow. In fact, your attire and your performance make people believe that you are somehow related to the Sigil of Arendelle.”

Elsa raised her eyebrow at that. “Are people big fans of the Sigil of Arendelle?”

“Indeed, they are! I would say that everyone from Arendelle is proud to have a Sigil represent our Kingdom, just as much as the Coronians.” 

“Interesting.” Elsa replied, taking another sip of her wine.

The bartender offered the Sigil another smile. “Please let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help.”

Now, at the current moment, Elsa was thinking that it would be the perfect opportunity to hide away from this event. Maybe she could grab a bottle from the bartender and find a secluded place in the castle to spend the rest of the night in. Although, with his information about her growing fan base as a competitor, it wouldn’t be ideal to ditch this function.

_Ugh, I need to fit in. I can’t just awkwardly stand to the side the entire time._

Her blue eyes glanced down at the drink.

_I mean, maybe this is what I need to help give me that boost of confidence and charisma. Being Elena Snow is so draining after all._

With that, Elsa downed her third glass of wine before placing the drink on the table next to the bartender. Before the competitor could ask for a refill, she felt a small tap on her shoulder.

_Odd, the touch is lighter and not Eric’s._

Deciding to answer the individual, Elsa turned around to come face to face with a woman with long, luscious, majestic black hair. Her hazel eyes glinted brightly against her light-tanned tone skin. Her raven black hair was held back with a golden band, her light green dress covered her shoulders and extended down to her knees.

Her smile had notions of mischief that Elsa couldn’t decipher. She didn’t give off any threatening auras, but she did have some sort of motive approaching the Sigil.

“I couldn’t help but notice you from across the ballroom.”

Elsa watched as the girl extended her hand out, a smirk still plastered on her face. “My name is Cecilia. It is a pleasure to be able to talk to you, Elena Snow.”

Elsa looked down at the hand before immediately extending her own to shake. Usually, Elsa would be hesitant in talking or interacting with strangers, but she knew that it would be peculiar if she didn’t. She had to blend in with the rest of the competitors.

“It’s nice to meet you, Cecilia.”

The woman retracted her hand, offering the competitor a warm smile. “You’re not like the rest of them.”

Elsa tilted her head to the side in confusion. “The rest of them in what way?”

“Well, usually, whenever I interact with anyone, they would usually bow, kiss the back of my hand when offered and ask for the pleasure to dance.”

Elsa’s icy blue eyes narrowed at the girl in front of her. Who does she think she is? She didn’t look like anyone important, and she wasn’t a competitor considering that she didn’t have a mask on. “Was I expected to do that?”

Cecilia laughed. “I usually expect it from others…. But I like how you didn’t.” Her mischievous smile turned into a soft one. “It’s different… a nice different.”

“Thanks?” Elsa answered a bit confusingly. Cecilia giggled at Elsa, noticing how her confused statement seemed to have been appealing to Cecilia.

“Would you care for a dance?” Cecilia extended her hand out.

“Am I going to get mauled by your secret admirers once it’s over?” Elsa joked.

“Not if you stay by my side.” The girl answered.

Elsa chuckled. “And if I say no?”

Cecilia’s smile never faltered. “Then you won’t have my protection when they secretly jump you for talking to me.”

“Well, I guess I’m in quite a bind now aren’t I?”

“I would say you are, Miss Snow.” 

“Well, then.” Elsa’s eyes glanced down at the offering hand. _One dance wouldn’t hurt. “_ I would love to dance with you.”

Cecilia’s hazel eyes brightened as Elsa accepted her extended hand. With that, the mysterious girl led both of them to the dance floor.

As soon as they arrived, Elsa placed her hand behind the girl’s shoulder while the other was clasped onto Cecilia’s other hand. Cecilia placed her hand on top of Elsa’s shoulder as they started to move to the beat of the music.

“So, Miss Snow - “

“You can just call me Elena.” Elsa interrupted.

Cecilia released a small giggle. “Okay, Elena.” the girl smoothly pronounced her name. “I’ve heard about your performance in the first round of the competition.”

“Shocker.” Elsa joked, receiving a burst of energy from the wine that she had consumed. “What are your thoughts?”

“Not sure, I wasn’t there to see your first day, but I did see your second day. I would say, from what I saw, it’s very impressive.”

“Thank you.” Elsa replied as she continued to be the lead through the dance.

“Where are you staying at currently?”

“Oaken’s Inn.” Elsa replied before spinning Cecila, who only giggled at the competitor’s nature before placing her arms back onto Elsa’s shoulder.

“You’re a good dancer.” Cecilia noted, her hazel eyes looking into the icy blue ones that were starting to lessen in its coldness.

“Through practice, I’ve learned how to improve. Still not the greatest.”

Cecilia shook her head, her raven black hair bouncing with each shake. “I would disagree.”

The song came to an end and a new one had started. Before Elsa was able to release her hold on the girl, Cecilia continued her hold.

“Would you mind another dance?”

Elsa listened in on the song, knowing that it was one of those songs that had a special twist to it. The competitor looked back at the girl with a raised eyebrow. “Are you sure you would want to?” She assumed that Cecila knew the special twist when it came to the song.

The younger girl smiled at Elsa. “Just as long as you allow me to grab both of us a drink after this song is over.”

_I guess another drink wouldn’t hurt._

“That sounds wonderful.” 

Cecilia’s smile brightened as she looked up at Elena. The competitor offered the girl another smile as the dance started with people pairing off with one another, dancing in the area that was sectioned off in the ballroom.

Cecilia started humming to the music as the two moved to the beat. Eventually, the song reached a certain point that Elsa knew well off what to do from her past experience.

_They always play this song in every ball._

With that, Elsa gently spun and released Cecilia to another individual, basically switching partners. What the ex-Protector didn’t expect was a familiar waft of strawberries infiltrate into her senses. 

_Shit._

Elsa looked down at the girl to notice Queen Anna looking up into her crystal, blue eyes. As if it was the most naturalist thing to do, the two bodies moved in tandem with one another.

“Elena.” Anna greeted.

“Your Majesty.” Elsa answered. The formality earned a glare from the sovereign. Elsa only chuckled, rolling her eyes as she continued to move with Anna in her arms. “What? We’re in a public setting, I should greet you formally since that is expected.”

“You know how I dislike it.”

“Don’t worry,” Elsa chuckled as she led the way. “I’ll call you by your name when we’re alone.”

Anna’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Why only alone?”

A small smile made its way towards Elsa’s lips. “Well, it makes it that much more special, don’t you think? Sort of like an exclusive sort of thing, sort of like a secret.”

Elena’s answer made Anna’s cheeks flush a light pink. The sovereign turned her head, trying to break her embarrassment and focus her eyes anywhere else but at the charming, icy blue ones.

“I saw you dancing with Cecilia.”

Even after five years of being separated by Anna, Elsa always knew when there was something amiss based on her tone. It seemed a bit on edge this time with a little bit of bitterness sprinkled in it.

“Yes, that is her name.”

“How did you meet her?”

The question was so forward and sudden that it made Elsa’s eyes widen under her mask. Anna’s teal eyes were still darting throughout the ballroom, but the competitor knew that the Queen was waiting for an answer.

“I met her just tonight actually, right before we started dancing.”

“Huh.” The bitterness was a bit more prominent in that singular word. “How did you approach her?”

“She actually approached me.” Elsa answered amusingly. Her answer caused the Queen to immediately turn her teal eyes to the competitor. Her eyebrows were furrowed in confusion, but her eyes were glazed with apprehension and shock.

“She approached you?”

“Yep.” Elsa replied. “Why?”

“I just would’ve thought that she wouldn’t be the type to approach people, considering her status and how everyone flocks to her.”

Elsa tilted her head to the side again. “What makes her so special?”

Anna’s eyes widened as she blinked a couple of times and stared at the competitor. “You don’t know who she is?”

Elsa pondered on the name, raking her brain for anything that was so important about the girl that she had danced with. 

_She’s a Princess in one of the more developed Kingdoms that is a bit far off from here. She’s known to have a Protector that is magical, but not necessary powerful nor a threat…. Uhm…._

“She’s a Princess?” Elsa replied simply, her tone raising slightly in a questioning manner as she stared at Anna.

“She’s not just any Princess! She’s _the_ Princess of the Kingdom of Zephyr.”

Elsa’ tilted her head to the side again, a habit of when the competitor was confused. “And?”

“And?!” Anna’s eyes were wide. “She’s considered the most beautiful individual on the planet! She’s kind, sweet, charming, successful, a royal and has a Protector that has magical powers!”

“And?”

Anna’s jaw dropped. “How are you not in awe? How are you not starstruck?”

“Well, the Sigils have powers, right?”

Anna stared at Elena with bewilderment. “Did you not pick up on everything else?”

“What else is there?”

Anna sighed and shook her head. “She was declared the most beautifullest individual on the planet!”

Elsa’s lip curved upward as she looked at the frantic Queen. “Beautifullest?”

The Queen’s teal eyes glared at the competitor. “You know what I mean!”

“No, I really don’t.” Elsa teased. The song was nearing its end as the two continued to dance with one another, the world around them blurring as they continued on with their conversation.

“She was officially declared the most beautiful person in the entire world! Does that not faze you?”

Elsa rolled her icy blue eyes and shook her head. “Nope.” She said, popping the ‘p’ at the end.

“No?! Don’t you think she’s beautiful? I mean, look at her! Her personality is amazing and she’s gorgeous and -”

“Your Majesty, have you ever heard of the saying ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’?”

Anna paused for a brief second, unsure of how to exactly reply to that question posed. After taking a few steps, Anna answered hesitantly. “Yes.”

Elsa offered Anna one of her infamous, charming smiles that she was able to nurture and cultivate over the past five years. The Queen’s cheeks flushed unintentionally before she followed up with a quick. “Why?”

Elsa held her smile, her icy, blue eyes looking at the Queen in a certain type of way that made butterflies flutter in the sovereign’s stomach. “I have to admit that Princess Cecilia is gorgeous, but I wouldn’t say that she is the most beautiful person in the world.”

Without even thinking, Anna spoke. “Then who is?”

As the song came to a close and dance partners departed from one another, Elsa leaned forward so that her lips ghosted above Queen Anna’s left ear. In the quietest but genuine tone, Elsa whispered. “You are, Anna.”

With that, Elsa pulled away from Anna and bowed her head down, a small smile still decorating her face. Anna’s entire face flushed red; her jaw dropped as she looked at the competitor with teal eyes the size of moons.

“It was a pleasure dancing with you, Your Majesty. I hope you have a great rest of your night.”

Before Anna could even reply, Elsa immediately turned around and walked towards the table she was originally standing at when Anna had first walked in. Anna took a step forward and was about to grab the competitor’s arm. Although, she was only able to take a step forward before another competitor approached her, trying to create a conversation and asking her for a dance.

While Anna nodded her head and pretended to listen to the newcomer, her teal eyes followed as Elena received a glass of wine from the bartender. She watched as the competitor tilted her head back and took a sip of her wine. She watched as the competitor removed the wine glass from her lips, her eyes closed as she hummed in content. She watched as Cecilia approached the competitor, striding towards her as if she had purpose - a goal in mind.

Anna watched as Cecilia placed her small hand gently onto Elena’s forearm, capturing the girl’s attention from savoring her wine. She watched as Cecilia tiptoed to whisper something into Elena’s ear, which only earned a playful eye roll from the blonde. Although, when Cecilia guided Elena towards a table for the two to sit and talk, Anna felt a wave of something she wasn’t familiar with.

Watching Princess Cecilia and Elena talk made Anna want to intervene. It made her want to walk away from her dance with the new competitor; it made her want to storm her way towards the pair; it made her want to claim Elena and tell Cecilia to back off.

The sudden feelings confused Anna. Why was she feeling this way? Why was she drawn to Elena? Just because she complimented her? Just because she looks like - 

The thought made Anna pause. The Queen took a glance at Cecilia and Elena, watching as the Princess giggled at something which the blonde had said, who was still nursing her glass of wine in her hand.

Anna thought. “She’s not Elsa… Elsa hates socializing and going to these balls and dancing with people. Elsa isn’t so rash and bold and charismatic and spontaneously cold… like Elena.”

_Never be satisfied with what you have now._

Anna shook her head, focusing on the competitor that continued to drown on and on about his time in Arendelle. Anna nodded her head, offering the man a fake smile. As the song was wrapping up, Anna was about to move away from the dancefloor when another competitor had offered their hand to her.

Internally groaning, Anna looked up to meet a deep, sapphire blue pair of eyes and jet-black hair. The sight of the man relieved Anna because she had already interacted with him. He was one of the few competitors she had gotten to know.

“Your Majesty, would you care for a dance?” Eric asked, bowing and shaking his hand.

“Sure.” Anna smiled. “I’d rather dance with you than some of the other competitors.”

“Choosing favorites already, Queen Anna?”

Anna released an angelic laugh and shook her head before accepting Eric’s hand. The fisherman started taking the lead in the dance based on the song that was starting up.

“I don’t have favorites, Eric.”

“Sure, you don’t.” Eric cheekily replied. “You and I both know that there is already a competitor that is your number one favorite.”

Anna shook her head, releasing a small laugh. Coincidentally, her eyes landed on Cecilia and Elena, still talking at the table but with Elena’s wine glass fully refilled. The sight made Anna’s stomach twist and turn.

“Whoa there, Your Majesty. I still need my hand to compete in the competition.”

Anna’s eyes widened when she realized that she had a death grip on Eric’s hand. The redhead immediately slackened her hold on the man’s hand, sending him an apologetic look.

Eric only smiled at the Queen. “I can see that someone is jealous.”

This caused Anna’s eyes to enlarge much more than before. “What? Me? Jealous of what?”

Eric shook his head, a small smile still framing his lips. “You’re jealous that Elena and Princess Cecilia are getting all buddy buddy.”

“No, I’m not. Elena has the right to talk to whoever she wants to. This event is to test competitors and their social interaction with other individuals, especially regarding balls and formal events.” Anna quickly rebuttal. “And she’s passing with flying colors.”

Eric laughed, shaking his head. “I’m not surprised that she’s passing and doing so well. Although, it seems that you feel uncomfortable about them getting too close.” Eric’s blue eyes looked towards Elena and Princess Cecilia. The Princess would constantly touch the competitor, whether if it would be on her bicep, forearm or hand. “And I can tell that Princess Cecelia is getting very comfortable as well.”

Anna sighed, shaking her head as she continued to watch their interactions with Eric. Was Elena going to give Princess Cecilia the cold shoulder like she had done to Anna after their first night? Anna still didn’t understand what she had done wrong. Was it the competition? Gaston?

“Thank you for the dance, Your Majesty.” Eric expressed, bowing his head and offering the Queen a small smile. “I would love to continue dancing with you, but I shouldn’t be selfish in taking your time. Plus, I have other things I must tend to right now.”

Anna’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. When did the song end? Nonetheless, she shook her head and a frown framed her lips. Anna would much rather dance with Eric than any other competitor. With other competitors, it felt stiff and awkward and uncomfortable at times. There were times where Anna could immediately detect the intent of a dance, and all the intents were something which Anna wasn’t interested in. Dancing with Eric was like dancing with your best friend - he was comfortable and goofy and definitely had no intentions at all but just to have fun.

“Very well.” Anna answered. “Thank you for the dance, Eric.”

Eric nodded his head, turning around so his back faced Anna. “Trust me, the thing that I have to deal with…. You’ll thank me later.” 

Anna’s eyebrows scrunched up together in confusion. The way Eric had said the last part was as if he was scheming something… not in a malevolent way.

The Atlas competitor walked away and towards the table with the hors d’oeuvres. Before the Queen could even blink, another competitor had approached her and started to make conversation. Anna shook her head, scolding herself for being inattentive.

“ _I should try and get to know other competitors.”_

And yet, as she continued to dance and talk with other competitors and foreign dignitaries, a small part of her brain was constantly thinking about Elena Snow. She was just so mysterious and different that it drew Anna in, wanting to unravel more about the competitor. From the first night they met and onwards, Elena never seemed like the type to kiss up to her or treat her differently because she was the Queen. Elena was genuine, and that genuine characteristic was something that Anna hasn’t experienced in a long time.

After about nine different dances with nine different competitors, Anna had to quickly dart away from the dancefloor and towards Kristoff, who was sitting at a table with a few other guards, laughing and joking with one another.

“I need a break.” Anna sighed, taking a seat next to Kristoff. The gruffy man chuckled and took a glance at the sovereign.

“You’ve been dancing a lot.”

“They keep coming and it never stops.”

“You are the Queen, what do you expect?”

“A break when I ask for one.” Anna grumbled, placing her elbow on the table and using the palm of her hand to rest her chin upon.

Kristoff chuckled, shaking his head before resuming his conversation with the guards that were currently sharing a table with him.

Anna sighed, her teal eyes sweeping across the room until it had stopped in front of a table. Elena and Cecilia still sat, chatting and laughing as if they were having a good time, as if they were two friends that had just recently reconnected with one another. Although, what caused Anna’s teal eyes to glaze with curiosity and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion was when she noticed Eric sitting with them, chatting and also laughing along at whatever they needed to discuss.

Anna frowned at the sight and an uncomfortable feeling settled in her stomach. For some reason, she didn’t want to sit here with Kristoff and other guards, even though she knew that he would provide her with a break from the approaching competitors. Anna wanted to be there - she wanted to be the one chatting with Eric and Elena, as if they were childhood friends. 

Because that’s what it exactly looked like in the current moment. 

Suddenly, her teal eyes came into contact with Eric, who had stopped to listen to whatever Princess Cecilia needed to say. Eric’s deep blue eyes glowed in their stare down, and Anna knew that he was trying to send her some sort of message with the way his eyes and eyebrows were contorting in a peculiar manner while still maintaining his gaze with Anna.

Anna wasn’t sure what had boosted her confidence, but she felt the need to walk over to the table and join the two competitors and Princess. She wasn’t sure how she was able to decipher the message, but regardless if she did so correctly, Anna would think that it wouldn’t hurt. Her council has been pegging her to be more social with others after all.

With a breath of confidence, Anna stood and strode over towards the competitors. Eric’s smile widened when he noticed the Queen making her move. Once Anna had arrived at the table, she noted how Princess Cecilia seemed to have been giggling and talking about a story pertaining to her powerful Protector. Elena was only nodding her head, listening to the Princess.

“Queen Anna!” Eric was the first to greet and acknowledge her presence. Princess Cecilia, who had her back to Anna, turned in her seat and offered the sovereign a smile.

“Good evening, Queen Anna.”

Anna nodded her head in acknowledgement and offered the Princess a small smile. “ Good evening, Princess Cecilia.”

Elena, who sat to the right of Cecilia, turned her head. Her icy blue eyes had a certain glaze to them, something which Anna couldn’t decipher. Was she cold? Was she thinking about something? Did she cry?

“Good evening, Your Majesty.”

Her tone didn’t have an icy bite to it, something which Anna was grateful for. The Queen smiled at Elena, her eyes looking at the empty seat between Eric and Elena. “Good evening, Elena.”

“Why don’t you join us Queen Anna? We’ve just been talking with the lovely Princess Cecilia about her life and her Protector.”

Cecilia gives Eric a smile, but her cheeks don’t even flush slightly at all, as if she is used to those type of comments from everyone else. 

“Would that be alright?” Anna asks hesitantly. Elena shrugs her shoulders in indifference as she takes a sip of her wine.

“The more the merrier.” the competitor that has made home in Anna’s mind for the night replies. Princess Cecilia only nods her head, but Anna isn’t sure if the younger girl really wants her presence there.

Eric pulls up the empty seat that is in between Elena and himself. “Have a seat!”

Anna smiles gratefully at the boy before taking a seat in between them. Her teal eyes quickly glance at Elena, who continues to take a sip of her wine. Anna inspects the table, noticing that there are a couple of bottles of wines.

“Elena is drinking tonight.” Eric whispers quietly into Anna’s ear. The Queen turns to the man, raising her eyebrow at his statement. Princess Cecilia takes this opportunity to start up her conversation with Elena, assuming that Eric and Queen Anna were going to talk about something else. Although, Anna, after picking up on certain behaviors that Princess Cecilia has displayed throughout the night, clearly knows that the younger girl has interest in the competitor.

And that leaves an even more upsetting feeling in the Queen’s stomach.

“Yeah, you heard me. That’s why I need to stay at her side at all times. Between you and I, I don’t trust anyone else with Elena except with you, especially at the current state that she is in.” Eric quietly whispers, making sure that Princess Cecilia doesn’t hear him as his eyes dart to the Princess before darting back to Queen Anna.

Anna takes a small but subtle glance at Elena to notice that she hasn’t acted drunk. She seems calm, cool and collected. It’s not like the competitor is stumbling. Her teal eyes look back at Eric, and she whispers in response. “She doesn’t seem drunk.”

“She’s drank five whole bottles of wine.”

Eric’s comment made Anna’s eyes widened. Elena, although strong and powerful, still has a small and slim figure. How does that body process five bottles of wine? 

Eric continues. “If she is drunk, the only person I would trust her with is you. I don’t know if she is drunk or not. She hasn’t really spoken, nor has she gotten up to dance or anything, but…” Eric’s blue eyes look between the pair that sits next to them. “Let’s test it out, shall we?”

With that, Eric stands from his seat. The sound of his chair scraping against the ground captures the attention of Princess Cecilia and Elena. The man walks over to the Princess and offers her his hand and a charming smile.

“I don’t think we’ve been able to dance yet, Princess Cecilia. Would you care for a dance? Possibly to stretch and move your legs after sitting for quite some time.”

Princess Cecilia looks from Eric’s hand back up to his eyes. The young girl opened her mouth, about to respond, when Elena’s voice interrupted her. 

“That sounds great actually, we have been sitting for quite some time. You should dance with him, Princess Cecilia.”

Elena had already decided for the Princess. The girl gives Eric a small smile before nodding her head and accepting his hand. As Princess Cecilia is standing, Eric sends Anna a look again, sending a message which Anna picks up on immediately. 

“Let us go.” Eric grins before leading the Princess towards the dance floor. As soon as Princess Cecilia and Eric are out of earshot, Anna notices Elena turn to her with a small smile on her face.

“Hi Anna.”

Elena’s voice doesn’t slur - it doesn’t sound tired at all. Her voice is light, and the way she had said her name causes Anna’s stomach to erupt in butterflies, erasing all the envious and jealous feelings she previously had. Maybe Anna is hallucinating, but Elena seems to have greeted her with some sort of affectionate tone. 

“Hi Elena.”

Immediately following her response, Elena’s smile widens. The competitor’s icy blue eyes look into those teal ones before glancing at the dance floor then back at Anna. Anna feels her stomach twists as she thinks that maybe Elena is looking for Princess Cecilia.

Those feelings are immediately killed off when Elena speaks up.

“Would you want to dance? I understand if you wouldn’t want to since you have been on your feet all night… but I feel like the night is coming to a close soon and I would really love to dance with you again and - “

Anna giggles because it seems that Elena is talkative when she has had one too many drinks. The competitor looks at the Princess and literally pouts at her because she thinks that Anna is laughing at her ranting. This only causes Anna’s smile to widen at how endearing Elena is, at how she can be this adorable puppy.

“I would love to dance with you, Elena.”

Anna’s response causes Elena’s pout to quickly vanish and replace with a large grin. The older girl stands with a burst of energy and offers her hand to the Queen. “Okay, let’s dance!”

Anna giggles before taking the competitor’s hand. As Elena pulls the Queen towards the dance floor, Anna notices that the girl doesn’t seem to stumble at all. Maybe the wine hasn’t fully processed through her body?

Once they arrive, Elena proceeds to use her free hand to place it on the middle of Anna’s back. Her other hand is clasped with Anna’s while Anna’s free hand makes its way onto Elena’s shoulders. The two start moving again in tandem for the second time in the night.

“Are you okay?” Elena asks, looking into those teal eyes as they move across the dancefloor.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, I feel like you were dancing all night and I’m sure you wouldn’t want to dance again. Aren’t your feet tired? Oh dear, maybe it wasn’t a good idea to ask you to dance. Maybe you only accepted because of mannerism, but you’re actually tired and - “

Anna shook her head and interrupted the competitor. “I do admit, I am tired, but I want to dance with you, Elena.”

Elena’s pout made its appearance for the second time that night. “We can stop now.”

“That would be rude for other people dancing, wouldn’t you think?”

“Then we can stop after this song.”

Anna chuckled and raised her eyebrow at the older girl. “Were you expecting more than one dance?”

The Queen’s cheeky response caused Elena’s cheeks to flush a light pink. The competitor’s blue eyes looked down. “Uhm, well I wanted to spend more of the night with you and what better and normal way than dancing? Because you would still show face, but I also understand that you should also dance with other people and I shouldn’t be so selfish.”

“Elena.” Anna spoke. The mention of her own name caused Elena to look back up at the girl. The intimidated and shy look that exuded off of Elena made Anna’s heart skip a few beats. She was on the verge of saying that she only thought about Elena after their dance, but that would sound too creepy, wouldn’t it? Anna bit her tongue from saying that and instead, opted for saying something else.

“I’d rather dance and hang out with you.”

The statement caused Elena’s eyes to brighten, her shyness quickly dissipating. Her icy blue eyes glowed with joy, but now that Anna looked closely, she noticed that her eyes were a bit glossier than usual. 

“Really?” Elena asked in the most adorable tone ever, as if she was speaking like a baby. 

Anna giggled. “Really.”

“Okay.” Elsa smiled. For someone who had drank five bottles of wine, Anna noticed how Elena never took a wrong step throughout their dance. In fact, Elena’s breath didn’t reek of wine. Her breath was just a bit colder and chillier, like a gust of comforting winter wind. The only thing that seemed to show from her consumption of alcohol was her adorable alter ego.

“Have you been enjoying talking with Princess Cecilia?”

Elsa shrugged her shoulders, her blue eyes only keeping in contact with Anna’s teal ones. “She’s interesting and her life is definitely unique compared to others. She is nice and friendly and all.”

“I see.” Anna answered.

“She’d be a cool friend to have, and I think it would be cool to meet her Protector. Although, it’s nice to also be able to talk to you.”

Anna’s cheeks flushed again from the competitor for the millionth time since the competition had started. Anna was never easily flustered by anyone, but there was something about Elena that was capable of doing that.

“Sometimes, I may seem cold and mean to you, but please know that I don’t mean it. I just have issues, that’s all.” Elena spoke. Although, the context within the words that the competitor spoke cause Anna’s attention to be on full alert.

“Issues?” Anna asked. What could possibly be troubling the competitor? Anna raked her brain. It has to be involving her friends back home, right? “Is it with your second family?”

Usually, Elena would respond with a small, despondent sigh. What threw off Anna was how Elena only gave a small nod and a sad smile. “Something along those lines, yeah.”

The song was coming to a close, and Anna felt bad for bringing down the mood. It seemed that Elena, as mysterious as she can be, also held back certain things that she couldn’t share, as if she was bottling up all her feelings and thoughts and emotions.

“Would you want to just get out of here and talk?”

Elena’s eyes widened as she looked from the Queen before scanning the room. “Wouldn’t your advisers be mad? Don’t you have to close the night?”

Anna shook her head. “It’s okay, I can figure something out.” The song started to slowly transition to the close. Anna stepped away from Elena but still held her hand in hers.

“Okay, let’s go.” Elena smiled, releasing her hand away from the middle of Anna’s back. The blonde still held onto Anna’s hand and tugged it. Anna gave the competitor a re-affirming nod of her head and followed as Elena led them away from the ballroom.

Anna followed the competitor away from the ballroom. Elena was still walking properly, but her hand firmly grasped onto the Queen’s as she led her towards the West Wing of the castle. Anna had a small feeling that they were heading towards the library that they had spent two nights in together.

As Elena continued to lead the Queen down the castle, Anna started to wonder more about the girl in front of her. How did she hear about the competition? Why was she competing to begin with besides providing prize money for her friends? Would she stay to be Anna’s Protector if she won? Or would she leave?

The thought of Elena leaving left another different kind of unsettling feeling in Anna’s stomach.

Nonetheless, the two eventually arrived at the library. Elena opened the door and guided Anna inside. Once the Queen closed the door behind the two, Elena proceeded to advance onto the second tier of the library with her hand still grasping onto the Queen’s. As the pair stood in front of the couch, Elena released her hold onto the Queen and settled onto her side of the couch.

Anna giggled at the older girl’s behavior as she proceeded to claim her side of the couch. Once Anna settled into her usual position, her back against the armrest of the couch and her knees placed up against her chest, her arms wrapped around hugging them, her teal eyes casted over the competitor.

Elena’s own legs were tucked underneath her body while her back was angled into the corner of her side of the couch. The competitor had her hands on her lap, her icy blue eyes already gazing at the Queen.

“So…” Anna started.

“Hi!” Elsa greeted again with a large smile.

“Hello Elena.” Anna giggled. Anna’s laughter caused Elena’s smile to widen much further.

“Anna.”

The way that Elena had uttered her name laced with endearment, affection and adoration. How her name was smoothly said by Elena made Anna’s heart skip another beat.

“Would you want to talk about anything?” Anna asked.

Elena hummed in contemplation. The girl’s blue eyes continued to look at the Queen, but any sort of intimidation or coldness from those blue eyes were gone.

“I meant what I said earlier this evening.”

“About what?” Anna asked curiously.

“About how beauty is in the eye of the beholder and how I think you’re the most beautifullest person in the entire universe.”

The comment caused Anna’s cheeks to flush a deep red. Meanwhile, Elena continued to gaze at the Queen with a silly grin on her face.

“T-Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me for anything. It’s just my own opinion.” Elena smiled.

Anna’s face flushed deeper as she looked down onto the ground. Elena only giggled and continued to talk. “You’re also really cute when you’re all flustered and all.”

Anna thought. “God, why is Elena being so forward? Maybe it’s how she reacts with alcohol?” Not that she disliked the forwardness - Anna would much prefer the competitor to be forward than to be cold and discrete, but she was definitely forward with all the compliments.

“So, Your Majesty.” Elena teased. Anna rolled her eyes and looked up at the competitor. Elena continued. “What does your council think about the rest of the competitors?”

Anna cleared her throat. “They think those who have advanced seem to have proved themselves.”

“And the Southern Isles Princes?” Elena asked.

Anna chuckled. “Well, they all made it and so, the council is actually ecstatic about that. I’m surprised you notice them.”

Elena’s offered Anna a cheeky smile. “Well, they stuck out like an eyesore on the very first day of the competition with their flashy suits and all.”

“Flashy isn’t your type?” Anna asked.

Elena hummed. “I’m not really a big fan of having too much. I’m content enough with what I have.”

“And what is it that you have?”

“My friends, Olaf and an opportunity to be in this competition.”

This was her opportunity to prod the competitor. “Are you only in this competition for the prize money?”

Elena titled her head to the side in confusion, her icy blue eyes that were still glossed over looked at the Queen inquisitively. “Yep! I want to help out my friends, which is why I am here.”

“Nothing more?” Anna subtlety tried to push.

Elena placed her forefinger against her chin, tapping against it lightly as she hummed again in thought.

“What if you were offered something else besides the prize money?” Anna asked.

“Such as?” Elena countered.

“A job here.”

“Working as a guard I presume?” Elena asked.

“Something along the lines of that.” Anna answered.

“Well…” Elena dragged out. “If I’m going to be truthfully honest with you, I wouldn’t want to be ordered around by the Captain of the Royal Guard. I’m not the biggest fan of him.”

Anna’s eyes widened. “Kristoff? Why don’t you like him? He’s been really nice.”

Elena shook her head. “He is content with where he is right now. Plus, he should’ve been the one that stopped the arrow, not me. Furthermore, it’s as clear as day how he has feelings for you.”

At Elena’s response, Anna blew out an exasperated breath, her nose scrunching up. “Ugh, is it really that obvious?”

“If you were to ask Eric, he would agree as well.” Elena pointed out. “The real question is, why don’t you reciprocate those feelings back?”

Anna sighed, shaking her head. She knew why, but she didn’t know if she wanted to disclose it to the competitor. “I just don’t feel the same way… I never have.”

Elena tilted her head to the side and stared at Anna as her teal eyes gazed down to her knees. “Are you sure that’s the case or does it involve Elsa?”

The mention of her past lover’s name made Anna’s ears perk. The sovereign immediately looked up to see Elena adorning a sympathetic smile - something which she has never seen the competitor show at all throughout the competition.

“W-Why would you think that?”

“Well, after the second night we hung out, I encountered your oaf of the Royal Guard and he believes that no one stands a chance against Elsa in your heart. He thinks that no one can ever take her place, slightly implying that he doesn’t have a chance because you still have feelings for his missing older sister.”

Anna’s jaw dropped. “He said that?”

“He did indeed.” Elena laughed.

“Why would he say that?”

“You know why.” Elena teased, her blue eyes coming into contact with those teal ones again.

“No, I really don’t.” Anna answered truthfully.

Elena gave Anna an amused look. “Your Royal Guard seems to be jealous; I would presume. Maybe he has been jealous of how Elsa has been able to reside in your heart after all these years, or maybe he’s jealous of something else.”

Anna’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Such as?”

Elena shook her head, a smile gracing her lips as she closed her eyes and tossed her head back in laughter. Anna wasn’t sure why Elena found the topic so funny, but Anna could come to the conclusion that she liked seeing Elena like this. Not drunk, but happy and lighthearted. 

The older girl opened her eyes and looked at the Queen with a soft, calming and subtle affection. “Tell me, Anna, do you have any favorite competitors as of now?”

Anna felt heat rush to her cheeks. “Uhm, no I don’t. I shouldn’t have favorites anyways. All competitors are equal, and I have only really seen their fighting skills and possibly had a five-minute conversation with them, but nothing more to allow me to choose favorites.”

“Is that so? Not even Eric?”

“Not even Eric.” Anna answered quickly.

“That’s a shame then.” Elena frowned. “I was hoping to take that spot.”

Anna’s eyes widened while Elena only laughed. “I’m just kidding. I understand the premises of everything.”

Anna nodded her head. If Elena was in this state of forwardness, Anna wouldn’t mind trying to learn more about the competitor. “So, Elena, besides the prize money for your friends, there’s nothing else that you’re trying to win the competition for?”’

A dopey grin made its way towards Elena’s lips. “What else would there be?”

“Maybe not a position, but possibly for somebody else? You must have a special someone in your life back at home.”

Elena shook her head, the smile still on her lips. “Nope.”

Anna’s eyebrows scrunched up together in confusion. “No?”

“Nope.” Elena repeated again.

“Why is that?” Anna asked hesitantly.

Elena paused, her smile disappearing and instead, a countenance of thought was sketched across her features. The competitor looked down at the ground. “Well, I don’t think I can ever fall in love.”

Anna’s eyes widened. Out of all the things that she was expecting the older girl to say, she wasn’t expecting that. Nonetheless, Anna was curious.

“Why don’t you think you can ever fall in love?”

Elena sighed and ran a hand through her messy, platinum-blonde tresses. “Well, I did fall in love before. The girl I fell in love with was special and meant the entire world to me, but I couldn’t be selfish.”

Anna’s forehead creased. “What do you mean you couldn’t be selfish?”

Elena sighed sadly. “We fell in love, but I had to choose between her and something else. It’s just that… we couldn’t be together. It wouldn’t help everyone else if we were together, so I had to let her go. We couldn’t be together because the universe just hates me.” Elena quietly mumbled, her glossy blue eyes started to become much glossier than usual.

“I don’t understand. It seems that there were things against your relationship which is something that is out of your control, but why would you think that you can’t fall in love?”

“Because I didn’t even believe in love for myself until she came along. As I said, I wasn’t really treated as a human being, but more so an asset, and it wasn’t until I met her that I felt like I could be capable of receiving and giving love.”

“But when this ultimatum came, I knew that I had to choose the decision that would benefit and help more people. So, in the end, I couldn’t see her ever again. I was on the verge of going back to how I was before, but thankfully, I met my friends that slowly kept me on track. I never really had any friends growing up except one, and so, to have a group of them was comforting.”

“Nonetheless,” Elena sighed; no tears had threatened to fall as her eyes were still as glossy as ever. “I’m not sure if I am capable of loving anyone else after her, nor do I think I am capable of receiving love. What’s the point of falling in love when in the end, you’ll just get hurt?”

“Elena…” Anna started. The things that the older girl had said somewhat resonated with her. Anna didn’t stop believing in love nor did she not believe that she could receive love, but Anna definitely knew that it was hard for her to move on from Elsa.

“I’m sorry for bringing down the mood. Maybe we should talk about something else.”

“No, no, it’s just…” Anna sat up from her position and inched forward towards Elena. Anna’s teal eyes darted down to Elena’s hand on her lap that was trembling and shaking. The Queen reached forward, placing her hand over the blonde’s hand and feeling the coolness of her skin upon impact.

“I’m sorry that this happened to you - you don’t deserve for this to happen. I hope that one day in the future, you can open yourself up to the idea and option of love again because the world would be missing out on knowing a beautiful soul like yours.”

Elena sniffled, and Anna reacted by rubbing the back of Elena’s hand with the pad of her thumb.

“I think your soul is much more beautifuller.” Elena tried to tease, a small smile framing her face. Anna giggled, continuing to rub circles on the back of Elena’s hand.

“Let’s talk about something else.” Anna suggested with a lighthearted smile. “What’s your favorite time of day?” 

Elena’s blue eyes looked up into those teal ones, and Anna knew that Elena felt exposed and vulnerable. With that in mind, Anna tried her best to be comforting but welcoming, and it seemed to work considering that Elena had answered her question. “The dawn, right before and after the sun rises. What about you?”

“I like the night.” Anna smiled, continuing to rub soothing circles on Elena’s hand. “I just like the idea of being under the moon and the stars and seeing the city lights and all.”

“That’s nice. What’s your favorite meal of the day?” Elena asked.

“It’s breakfast. It’s kind of ironic because I’m not a morning person, but I do like the feeling of breakfast. What about you?”

As their conversations progressed through the night, Anna, Elena, or both, would giggle at certain answers or questions that they had for each other. Anna noticed how Elena seemed to have relaxed, how her posture, which was once tense, was now relaxed and so was her hand, which Anna kept a hold of throughout the night.

As the night continued on and the couple got comfortable with each other, they eventually ended up sitting next to each other in the middle of the couch. Their thighs were touching and grazed against each other while Anna continued her hold onto the girl’s hand, continuing to still rub light and soothing circles. Elena had her head leaning against the Queen’s shoulders, her hair neatly flowing down her back.

Anna knew that the girl was sleeping on her shoulder. The aftereffects of the alcohol after her talkative and jubilant stage must have made her sleepy and tired. After talking for a couple of more hours, Elena’s head slowly fell onto Anna’s shoulders as she quietly mumbled to the sovereign that she just wanted to “rest her eyes”. 

Which is how they ended up in the current position that they were in.

Anna didn’t feel uncomfortable. She enjoyed being close to another individual for once. She enjoyed having someone lean on her shoulder. Even though Elena was long past the state of consciousness, Anna continued to rub circles around the back of her hand, as if she needed to continue the action or else Elena would awaken.

This feeling was different, different than anything that Anna has ever experienced. Usually, Elsa never really relied on Anna for small things such as using her shoulder as a pillow - it was always the opposite, where Anna would rely on Elsa for affection and comfort.

It felt different, but it was a good different. After the events of the past three days, Anna wanted to know more. Yes, she wanted to know more about Elena ever since the opening ball, but with each passing second, Elena continued to pull her in further. There was just something new and interesting and mysterious about Elena that Anna wanted to learn more about. Maybe it was because of how mysterious yet forward the girl is, how charming and chivalrous she is, how she seems to have millions of little things that Anna wanted to unravel and learn more about, but nonetheless, Anna was starting to become addicted.

And so, as Anna’s eyelids started to become heavy, one thing crossed her mind that surprised her. 

This was the first night that she didn’t go to their study for once, and for some reason, it didn’t bother her as much as she expected it to.


	24. The Golden Pegasus

Elsa knew that she wasn’t sleeping on a proper bed. Although, it didn’t bother the competitor wherever she slept because she was used to sleeping anywhere and everywhere, especially during missions. During the stage of her body waking from unconsciousness, it slowly took in its surroundings. She was in a cool room that smelled of fresh paper - crisp and light. However, the scent of fresh paper wasn’t the only thing that her nose picked up on.

_Strawberries._

Her sense of touch started to spring to life. She felt a body leaning against her front. She felt her hand intertwined with another and her arms securely wrapped around a small frame. She felt soft hair against her left cheek and her chin grazing against soft skin. 

There was no sound around them except the muted sounds of birds chirping from the outside. The room she was located in had no other sound, or nothing that Elsa could pick up on in her current state.

It wasn’t too bright behind her closed eyelids, but it wasn’t like Elsa was in the pitch dark either. As her body finished its transition, Elsa fluttered her eyes open, her vision blurring slightly before re-adjusting itself.

She noticed strands of auburn hair in her sight as well as the feel of the body that she had her arms wrapped around breathing shallowly. A wave of nostalgia washed over Elsa at the current position she was in.

_How did I even get here to begin with?_

Suddenly, the events of last night came rushing back to her mind and her eyes widened.

Anna.

She knew that this feeling was familiar for some reason. It seems that she had fallen asleep on the Queen, and instead of the sovereign leaving her side, she decided to stay and fall asleep as well. Their position compromised overnight to have the Queen sitting in between her legs, her chin resting on the Queen’s shoulder while her arms wrapped securely around the younger girl.

There was a lunch for the competitors today announcing what the next rounds were going to pertain to. Elsa’s icy blue eyes scanned around the room, searching for a clock. Once she found one, she noticed that there were two more hours left until she had to report to the event.

_I must get ready._

But looking at the current predicament that the Sigil was in, it seemed that she couldn’t escape the hold of the younger girl without having to move her, risking waking her up. Her arms, which were securely wrapped around the waist of the Queen, were entrapped by the sovereign’s arms. Anna literally sat in between Elsa’s legs, disabling the girl to even get up unless she lifted her up.

How was she to move without waking up the younger girl? Didn’t Anna have to be at the luncheon early to make sure that all was in place?

Elsa chuckled softly at the thought. Even though it has been five years and both have changed, whether it was better or for worse, some things still never change. Anna was never the type to enjoy waking up early, and even after five years, it still carried forward.

“What are you laughing about?” The girl in her arms murmured softly. Her sudden outburst caused Elsa’s eyes to widen as she looked at the top of the girl’s head. In their current position, it was difficult for Elsa to see the Queen’s face.

Anna’s voice was soft and groggily, but nonetheless, the Queen continued to mumble lowly. “Do I have horrible bed hair?”

This earned a more audible chuckle from the Sigil. Although Elsa couldn’t see it, Anna’s lips curved upward in a small but sleepy smile, her eyes still closed and hiding those teal gems.

“No, you don’t Anna.” Elsa answered.

“I’m surprised I don’t. Gerda usually points out how I always have hair sticking out each morning she sees me.”

“Maybe it was the way that you slept?”

Anna hummed, her fingers waking up as the pad of her thumb rubbed over the top of Elsa’s hand, their fingers intertwined together. “That is true, especially if I am only staying in one spot. Even then, my hair tends to have a mind of its own overnight.”

The small gesture sent jolts of electricity through Elsa’s body. It didn’t surprise Elsa as much as it should - she knew how her body would react naturally to the girl in her arms.

“Did you sleep well, Elena?’

Elsa nodded her head, the nod of her head shifting Anna’s hair to notify the Queen.

Anna hummed. “I’m glad. I’m sorry that you couldn’t sleep on a proper bed. I didn’t want you to walk back to Oaken’s Inn late of night, and I couldn’t really leave and find any guards to help carry you to a guest bedroom.”

Anna’s comment caused Elsa’s cheeks to flush in embarrassment. She was glad that the Queen couldn’t see her face at the current moment.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” Anna hushed.

“You could’ve just left me here and gone back to your chambers.”

“I didn’t want to.”

Those four words sent Elsa’s heart into motion once more. She hoped that Anna couldn’t feel her heart beat so quickly against her back. From anyone else, Elsa was never affected by their words and actions, but with Anna, it seemed that every little thing the girl had done always made a large impact on the Sigil.

“There’s a luncheon today.” Elsa decided to bring up. Maybe she could get herself out of this to calm her raging heart.

Anna hummed. “I know.”

At this response, Elsa raised an eyebrow at how the Queen didn’t even move. If anything, Anna continued to make herself comfortable in Elsa’s arms.

“It’s in two hours.”

“Uh huh.” Anna mumbled, and by the tone and volume of Anna’s voice, Elsa knew that the girl was planning to fall back asleep.

_Some things really don’t change._

“Anna, don’t you think you should get ready for the luncheon?”

The Queen shook her head. “Five more minutes.”

Elsa sighed, shaking her head with another chuckle. “You sure?”

“Yes, five minutes then we can go.” Anna mumbled, settling herself further into the competitor’s body.

“Okay, only five minutes.” Elsa gave in. Her response caused Anna to delve further of snuggling into the Protector. The Queen placed her head softly on Elsa’s chest, a small smile decorated her lips.

Throughout that five minutes, Elsa’s mind wandered to the future of the competition as well as what she had to do regarding the mission. All Jack had told her was that she would be participating in the competition with no mention of what the prize would be besides the prize money. Nonetheless, the leader of the Sigils had instructed her that she would have to accept whatever the prize may be regardless.

That confused the Ice Queen. 

The leader of the Sigils had told her that he would give her periodic updates when he did receive more intel, but her sole purpose of being in Arendelle was to keep an eye out for the Kingdom and for Anna. There were threats that were planning another attack on the Kingdom, and Jack had told her that she needed to make sure that she would get into the good graces of the Queen, the main reason why Elsa was chosen to take on this mission.

“ _Even if you guys have been apart for five years and she may not recognize who you are, I know you will both click immediately. Keep her close, get her to trust you and keep an eye out.”_ Jack’s words echoed within Elsa’s mind.

She didn’t understand what the extremity of the threats were. All she knew was that there were threats, she needed to stay close to Anna and win the competition. Jack mentioned that there were multiple ulterior motives of the competition besides publicity and a fun event. And as Elsa ran through each meticulous piece of information throughout the time she has been here, the Ice Queen had a hunch about what a couple of the ulterior motives were.

“Hmmm, are you okay?”

Elsa’s blue eyes snapped out of her trance as she looked down at the girl in her arms. Anna seemed to have turned her body so that she was facing the competitor, her hands on the top of Elsa’s arms which were still wrapped around the Queen. Concern was etched across those teal eyes that looked up at her curiously.

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

Anna nodded her head. “Okay, good. As much as I would rather stay in the library, we should really get going.”

Elsa nodded her head but didn’t move her arms. A few seconds passed of Elsa gazing down at the Queen. From the delayed response time, and Elsa still not releasing her hold of the Queen, Anna giggled and tapped her fingers against Elsa’s biceps.

“We should get going, and in order for that to happen…”

Elsa, who was genuinely confused, finally got the message as her eyes widened. The older girl released her arms from Anna’s waist, her cheeks flushing with a light tint of pink. “I’m sorry.”

Anna laughed again - that angelic laugh that sent Elsa to cloud 9. “Don’t worry about it. You should get ready for the luncheon. Are you thinking about heading back to the Inn?”

Elsa nodded her head. “I have to check up on Olaf.”

“Right, okay.” Anna’s lips curved upward in a small smile. “Let me escort you out then.” The Queen turned around and stood up. She proceeded to turn around and offer her hand to the competitor.

“Oh, you don’t have to.” Elsa argued, still seated on the couch as she felt the warmth of the Queen quickly dissipate once she had stood. Elsa’s icy blue eyes looked at the hand that was extended.

“But I want to.”

And god, if Elsa’s heart wasn’t hammering against her chest from the proximity of the Queen, from her laughter and her adorable behavior, it definitely was now. Elsa looked from the hand back up to the Queen’s face, meeting those welcoming, teal eyes and soft smile.

“Come on, we shouldn’t be late to the luncheon.”

With a nod of her head, Elsa accepted the hand and felt the Queen pull her up from the couch. With another smile, Anna led Elsa out of the library and towards the courtyard of the castle. As the pair walked down the halls, maids and knights would greet and bow as the sovereign passed them. The pair continued to walk through the cold halls in silence, the only feeling of warmth radiating from the touch that Elsa had from Anna’s hand.

Once they arrived at the front of the castle, they were faced with a familiar burly man giving orders to a few guards, who simply nodded their heads before heading into the castle. The blonde man turned his head, his brown eyes meeting the teal that he was looking for throughout the entire night. His brown eyes then darted to Elena and their clasped hands. 

Kristoff walked his way over towards the pair, his leather boots softly hitting against the stone floors, omitting no sound compared to the clanking of metal boots from guards. Once he arrived in front of the Queen, his eyes narrowed at Anna. “Where have you been?”

“I just woke up.” Anna answered.

“Gerda was looking all over for you last night and this morning! You can’t just disappear like that Anna. Do you know how flustered your council was when they realized that the Queen of Arendelle, who is supposed to be in charge of this competition, wasn’t even there to close off the first round ball?”

“It’s not like I wanted this competition.” Anna grumbled in response. Her response caused Kristoff’s eyes to narrow at the girl even further. Meanwhile, as Elsa was standing on the side witnessing the entire thing, she wanted to intervene and glare at her younger brother. How dare he look at Anna as if he was her parent. Before Elsa could intervene, Anna shook her head, her teal eyes glaring at the man with a fiery intensity.

“I didn’t leave the castle, okay? God, why have you been so uptight, Kristoff? Whatever I do is none of your business -”

“It is if I’m your Protector!” The man barked.

“For now.” Anna hissed, causing Kristoff to slightly flinch at that response. The tension in the air stiffened as Kristoff looked away from the sovereign, hurt clearly being reflected in his face.

“Come on, Elena. Let me walk you to the gates.” Anna mumbled, pulling Elsa along and walking past a stiff Kristoff. 

Silence as they walked towards the gates. Although, it wasn’t that comfortable silence as they walked through the halls of the castle, but the silence of tension and unspoken secrets. As the two of them stood in front of the gates with hands still clasped together, Elsa wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do or say. She knew that she wasn’t supposed to have a snippet of that conversation and a peek at the current problem that was occurring internally.

“I’m sorry that you were here for that.” Anna apologized. Elsa looked down at the girl and watched as her eyes, both disappointed and somber, casted away, as if it was afraid to look at the competitor.

“Don’t worry, it’s none of my business anyways.” Elsa responded, releasing her grip on Anna’s hand. The Queen, understanding the loosening of Elsa’s hand, also released it until both of their hands fell to their respective side.

Another silence, but this time, the silence symbolized awkwardness. What now? Was Elsa supposed to bring this up to Anna? Was she supposed to offer words of comfort?

“I’ll see you later this afternoon?” Elsa decided to opt in for. The Queen nodded her head, her teal eyes finally having the courage to look at those icy blue ones.

“Yes. Please get back to the inn safely.”

“I will.” Elsa smiled. With another bow, Elsa turned on her heel and walked away from the castle. Although, as she continued to walk further away, she still felt eyes on her back until she was no longer in sight of the castle.

* * *

When Elsa had arrived at the inn, she saw Olaf resting on the ground, his head rested on his paws as he waited patiently for his partner to come back. When Olaf saw Elsa, the wolf hopped to its feet and sprinted towards his partner, immediately jumping onto the Sigil who had braced herself to hold the wolf steady.

“Are you okay, Olaf?”

The wolf gave a playful growl to its partner before leaning forward to lick her cheek. Elsa giggled, placing her hands on top of the paws that were currently on her own shoulder.

“Good.” Elsa smiled. “I have to go to a luncheon for the competition, but you can wait outside of the castle in the meantime.”

The wolf glared at its partner with his hazel eyes. Elsa rolled her eyes. “Olaf, no offense, but you’re not a pup anymore. Your size can scare people.”

Instead of maintaining his glare, the wolf looked at Elsa with his puppy dog eyes. Elsa sighed, looking away from her partner’s eyes. “Olaf.”

The wolf whimpered, and Elsa released another sigh in response. “Fine, but you have to stay put, okay?”

Olaf happily and cutely barked before he gave another lick to Elsa’s cheek. Elsa shook her head, chuckling as she stepped back to allow Olaf’s front paws to hit the ground. “Come on boy, let’s get going.”

Olaf nodded his head as he trailed behind Elsa, who led the pair back to the castle. On the way, the competitor stopped by a row of restaurants to grab Olaf something as well as herself. Coincidentally, the row of restaurants that she was in was the same row with Anna’s favorite chocolate shop.

Elsa stood still, contemplating whether or not she should enter the shop. Olaf was currently munching on a large piece of dried beef jerky that Elsa had bought for him. The Sigil stood with a coffee in hand. Anna never liked drinking coffee, always being the one to prefer some hot chocolate if she needed a boost in the morning. 

The events of last night flashed back in Elsa’s mind once again - how, even in her embarrassing, affectionate and talkative stupor, Anna was so patient and kind towards her. How the Queen had taken care of her even though she had her own duties and responsibilities to tend to.

_A small gift of gratitude wouldn’t hurt._

Understanding what she needed to do, Elsa walked into the chocolate shop with an objective in mind. She quickly purchased a hot chocolate with Olaf sitting outside, his jaw still chewing at the beef jerky while his head tilted to the side in confusion as to what Elsa was exactly doing. Olaf was smart enough to see that Elsa already had a cup of coffee in her hand, so why did his partner need another beverage?

His hazel eyes watched as Elsa thanked the shop owner before walking out of the chocolate shop. Elsa whistled for Olaf to follow, and the wolf, confused, followed his partner through the market and towards the castle.

Elsa was still early, about an hour early to be precise, from the start of the event. Her plan was to stay with Olaf in the courtyard before the event would start, then leash the wolf up once she had to head in. The Sigil trusted her partner, but it was more for the public eye. What surprised Elsa was how Anna stood there, discussing matters with some of the guards and a few members of her council. 

As if Anna had noticed a presence, the Queen turned her head and looked into those icy blue eyes that had kept her company from last night up until this morning. Elsa stood still, both of her hands holding two hot beverages while Anna maintained their eye contact. Her advisor continued talking, and Elsa watched as Anna nodded her head, said a few words before waving her hand, dismissing the guards and her council members. 

All of them bowed to the Queen before heading back inside of the castle. Anna, who changed back into her usual black dress attire, advanced towards Elsa with a look of curiosity. Olaf, noticing his new friend approach them, had his tail wag excitedly. The wolf was clever and smart enough to know that the Queen seemed to have been distracted. Olaf’s eyebrows creased upwards as the wolf looked from Anna to Elsa then back to Anna. 

“Hi Anna.” Elsa greeted.

The way that Elena had greeted her sent shivers down Anna’s spine, as those two simple words reminded her of the previous night. “H-Hi.”

Elsa smiled and extended her hand out that contained a beverage. “I just wanted to thank you again for spending time with me when you didn’t have to. I figured that you wouldn’t have time to eat until the luncheon, and you also probably didn’t get the best sleep, so I got you some hot chocolate.”

Anna looked down at the hot chocolate that was being offered to her, her heart hammering against her chest at the sight. Her fingers hesitantly reached out to accept the drink, the tips of her fingers brushing against Elena’s cool and calloused ones that sent jolts of electricity through her body.

As Anna accepted the drink, she stood and wondered how those hands got so calloused and rough. How many years of combat that the competitor had that would have caused that amount of roughness to her hands? Elena didn’t look much older from the Queen, yet it seemed that those hands had gone through a lot. It’s cool temperature also confused Anna, considering that the drink was still as hot as ever. Maybe that’s how she was able to hold the hot beverage in hand. And yet, why was it Elena’s hands that were only cold? Anna could have sworn that when she slept with the girl, she felt a cool warmth. Not necessarily hot and cold, but the warmth you get from being cuddled under a pile of blankets on a cool winter night.

“Your Majesty?”

Anna snapped out of her trance, her teal eyes re-focusing on the competitor who looked at her worryingly, Elena’s head tilted to the side in confusion but her forehead creasing and eyebrows upward in concern.

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

“Are you alright?” Elena asked.

“Oh, I’m fine.” Anna said, clearing her throat as a small blush of embarrassment swept over her cheeks.

Elena nodded her head hesitantly. “Well, I was wondering if you needed help with anything pertaining to the luncheon? Maybe I can’t help logistically, but I can give a hand with the set up?”

“Oh, no Elena, you should just relax. There’s no need to - “

“Your Majesty!” a voice interrupted Anna mid-sentence. The Queen and the competitor turned to see Gerda quickly descend down the stairs of the castle entrance and swiftly walk towards Anna across the courtyard.

“It seems that some of the guards who were supposed to help set up became ill from last night’s ball. We’re short on hands and we need a bit more help if we would want to set up the ballroom in time.”

Anna opened her mouth, about to respond to Gerda when Elena had interrupted her.

“I can help out.”

Gerda’s brown eyes immediately turned towards Elena. The Head Maid’s eyes brightened at the sight of the competitor. “Really, Miss Snow? You don’t have to, especially if this luncheon is for competitors.”

“I insist. I would rather help than lounge around anyways.” Elena smiled. 

“Great! Right this way, Miss Snow.” Before Gerda turned to lead the way, the Head Maid looked down at the wolf, who was gnawing at the dried beef jerky while looking up at Gerda curiously. “You can also bring your little friend, just as long as he’s under control and trained. I think it may be best than leaving him out in the courtyard.”

Elsa nodded her head, turning to Anna to give her another smile before following Gerda. Olaf’s eyes quickly looked between Elsa and Anna before he followed his partner along as well.

Anna stood there, watching Elena’s retreating figure. She proceeded to look down at the hot chocolate in hand and felt her heart beat against her chest once again. The Queen lifted the drink up to her lips, taking a small sip and savoring the smooth hot chocolate that flowed through her taste buds. 

Anna hummed at the feeling of drinking something warm while the air was cool and brisk. She smiled at Elena’s thoughtfulness. Although, the Queen couldn’t continue to daydream as one of her advisors approached her.

Right, she has a luncheon she has to get to planning.

* * *

Anna released a small sigh as another one of her advisors had left the ballroom. The sovereign looked around the ballroom, noting how everything was almost prepared for the luncheon. Anna watched as some of the guards had watched Elena elegantly move around the ballroom to quickly help set up. The competitor was definitely capable of helping out with something such as this. Even Gerda, who was helping with the smaller things due to her old age, smiled fondly as she watched the competitor string up banners or prepare certain tables. In fact, if all the maids and workers weren’t smitten by Elena before, they definitely were now. The way the competitor would quickly approach to offer a hand or to carry something that another was or wasn’t struggling with. 

Anna watched as Elena interacted with the workers - the way everyone around Elena seemed to brighten up in the early morning after the ball, the way Elena would bring light wherever she went and the way everyone around her would laugh and smile at her presence and her jokes.

It also didn’t help how Anna was able to once again witness Elena’s relationship to Olaf. How intelligent the wolf was when Elena had told him to grab something, how the wolf nodded its head, dropped the half-eaten beef jerky before trotting away to grab whatever his partner requested. This time, Olaf trotted towards the opposite side of the room and grabbed a couple of folded tablecloths with his mouth. The wolf trotted back with the tablecloth and Elena bent down, accepting the tablecloth from her partner before affectionately rubbing the top of the white wolf’s head. The wolf purred, leaning into its partner’s touch as his tail wagged happily while Elena gave the wolf praise.

“Someone seems to be distracted.” A male voice rung through the air. Anna snapped out of her trance and turned towards the source, seeing a large, tanned male with long orange hair that was held back with a headband. His sky-blue eyes studied the sovereign curiously, his brown tunic was somewhat like a tank top, showcasing his muscular arms and pecs.

Anna rolled her eyes as she eyed how the man still wore a belt and his bottoms fairly looking like a skirt. Anna knew that if she made a comment about the man’s attire, she would have been scolded that the “skirt” was actually part of his tunic, as the man needed the largest tunic in order for it to barely fit his physique.

Nonetheless, knowing that her comment would cause that reaction, Anna stated it anyways.

“Nice skirt, Herc.”

And as Anna had predicted, the man’s face contorted in playful anger as he rolled his eyes. “For the millionth time Anna, it’s just a one-piece outfit! I have to get the largest size in order to just fit around my entire body.”

“You could just wear pants, Hercules.”

Hercules rolled his eyes. “I’m wearing shorts, okay? Besides, pants can be so restraining at times unless they stick to you like skin.”

Anna chuckled before turning her attention back to Elena, noticing how the competitor had already set the tables and was merely looking at each table, moving the silverware the slightest bit, as if she wanted everything to be perfect.

“You seem to be expressing a ton of interest in her. Who is she?” Hercules prodded.

Without thinking, Anna answered the man. “Her name is Elena Snow.”

Hercules smirked, his blue eyes also studying the young competitor. “Ah, the competitor that has already built such a large reputation and fan base. Now that I see her, I can understand why everyone is attracted and drawn to her, including yourself, Anna.”

Hercules response caused Anna’s cheeks to flush a light pink as she continued to look at the competitor.

The man continued. “She has a pet wolf and seems to get along well with the workers - that’s points in my books for a potential Spymaster or Protector of Arendelle, don’t you think?”

Anna turned towards the man, her teal eyes quickly narrowing. “Shh, no one knows about the whole ordeal.”

Hercules shook his head in disbelief as he focused his sky-blue eyes back onto the sovereign. “I still can’t believe you guys think it's a wise idea to keep this a secret. What if the first place winner rejects the position?”

“Then we have the second place and so on.” Anna answered.

“Well, I guess for the Spymaster position, it wouldn’t matter unless Kallum approves. Speaking of which,” Hercules scanned the individuals in the room. “Where is he?”

Anna shrugged her shoulders. “Probably loitering around the castle. I don’t think he will be here for the luncheon, but he will come for the announcement of what is to come for the competitors.”

Hercules nodded his head. “Well, as long as he’s here. He is going to be a lead after all.”

Anna nodded her head, turning her attention back to Elena. The Queen noticed how Elena had taken a pile of plates away from Gerda, offering the head maid a small smile before walking towards a vacant table to set up. Although, as Elena was meticulously placing the plates down, the competitor looked up when she felt eyes on her. Blue and teal met once again. Elena reacted by giving the sovereign a small wave before presuming back to setting the table up.

“Wow, who would’ve seen this coming.” Hercules commented with a chuckle. Anna rolled her eyes as she turned to the bulky man, about to throw a snide response back when one of her advisors had interrupted her.

“Your Majesty, the competitors are entering the castle. Please get to your position as they will be here shortly.”

Anna turned towards her advisor and nodded her head. “Thank you.”

The advisor bowed before leaving the ballroom. Hercules chuckled and offered his arm to Anna, who just turned around to face the man. “Come on, Your Majesty. Let’s get to our table in the front, shall we?”

Anna rolled her eyes but accepted Hercules’s arm nonetheless. “Where’s Meg to put you down when I need her?”

Hercules laughed as he led the two of them to their table. “Taking care of the Kingdom of Exodus, doing her ruler things. Besides, you’re the one that wanted me here as a lead.”

“That’s because I trust your judgement and combat.” Anna calmly said as they arrived at the table. Hercules pulled the chair for Anna, who nodded her head with a smile and took a seat.

“I don’t know if I should be offended or not, considering that the other lead is also Kristoff.”

At the Kingdom of Exodus’s Queen’s consort response, Anna rolled her eyes. “There’s also Kallum.”

“Yes, but Kallum is a legend of Arendelle that was here since your father’s time. Kristoff, on the other hand…”

“I thought you guys were friends.” Anna teased.

“We are.” Hercules argued. “But sometimes, his combat and strategy can be questionable.”

“Well, besides Kallum, he is Arendelle’s greatest asset.”

“Hopefully you’ll find a greater one after this competition.” Hercules argued as he turned his attention to wave someone down for drinks. Anna’s teal eyes drew away from the Queen consort and towards Elena, who had settled herself on the opposite end, patting Olaf’s head with a smile on her face.

* * *

“Thank you for attending the luncheon. As you have been notified, this is the transition to the second stage of the competition.” Anna announced from the stage in the front of the ballroom. All eyes were on her as the Queen continued. “You have all been given a card that separates you into four groups. Three of the four groups will have a lead. The group that you are assigned to will be the team that you will be working with for an indefinite amount of time during the competition. Not only do you need to exemplify individual skill, but we also need to see how well you work with other individuals. Under the supervision of your lead in these groups, they will determine whether or not you deserve to move forward into the competition. Furthermore, you will go on missions and compete against other teams.”

At the announcement of the second phase of the competition, murmurs echoed within the room. Anna stopped speaking, finding no point in speaking further if her voice was going to be overpowered by the side conversations of the competitors. Hercules stepped forward. “Silence.” His voice echoed within the ballroom, causing all those to stop speaking as they immediately listened to Hercules.

Hercules, the Queen consort of the Kingdom of Exodus, was comparable to having the strength of a God. The man was feared by others because of his strength but admired by the rest due to his bravery. Sometimes, his bravery was stupid, but always had good intentions. There was not a single soul that was able to beat Hercules in an arm wrestle, something which the Queen consort would always suggest when someone had first reached forward to challenge him.

“Thanks.” Anna whispered solely to Hercules. The Queen continued. “The fourth group without a lead is the group that is disqualified from the competition. From the first round of fights as well as last night’s ball, we have disqualified individuals. Last night’s ball, although celebrating those who had surpassed the first phase of the competition, was also a test to determine how an individual acts in a social setting. You will only find out if you are disqualified if you enter a room that does not have a lead. Your lead should be waiting in the room that you will be reporting to once we dismiss you. If you would have any further questions, you may ask your lead. Everyone is dismissed.”

With that, three-fourths of the room stood and started to exit the ballroom. Elena, who sat next to Eric, watched as the man stood and bowed before her.

“I guess we’re on different teams, Elena. Nonetheless, once phase two is over, I expect to see you still competing.”

Elena nodded at the man. “The same goes for you, Eric.”

“Don’t worry, we will still hang out outside hours.” Eric smiled cheekily at the competitor. “See you later!” With that, Eric turned and made his way out of the ballroom.

Elena watched his retreating figure in the sea of people. When her friend was out of sight, Elena looked around to note that there were about forty competitors in the room. Queen Anna had disappeared, most likely tending to other things that she was responsible for. Meanwhile, Hercules stood in front of the room, still standing on the stage with his arms crossed and his sky-blue eyes scanning the room. His blue eyes came into contact with Elsa’s blue ones, and the Queen consort of the Kingdom of Exodus raised his eyebrow in curiosity. The man proceeded to chuckle, shaking his head with a smile on his face before continuing to survey the room.

Once the others had left for their designated room, Hercules spoke. “Congratulations to those who have proceeded onto phase two of the competition. Even though you all stayed in this room, you all have actually advanced, and your lead for this team is none other than me. My team is called the Golden Pegasus, and you all will be under my training and scrutiny. Furthermore, the way that you can only pass this phase is based on my judgement, as your team leader, of your performance, your performance amongst your teammates and your performance amongst the opposing teams. You all need to learn how to compete well against one another, but not have your competitive nature hinder your performance when competing against other teams.”

“For phase two, we will have training every day for four hours of the day and compete against a team twice a week, once per week against the Silver Kitsune and the Copper Cerberus. At the end of each week, the winner of each weekly competition will have the honor to have the lower requirement of kicking out people. For example, let’s say that we won first, the Kitsune is second and the Cerberus is third. This would mean that, as first place winners of that week, I am only required to kick out one person from the team at a minimum. Meanwhile, the Kitsune, winning second hypothetically, may be required to kick out three people at minimum and the Cerberus may have to kick five. Although, based on your performance with your team and individually, I have the power to kick out more than one person if I deem it to be necessary. This means that even though we may have won first and I may only need to kick one person, I can kick more people than the last place team has if I see that you haven’t improved or if I think you’re not good enough.”

Murmurs erupted across the room. Hercules shook his head, sighing as he allowed the competitors to talk amongst each other for a few seconds. Elsa only sat, processing the information that was given to her and strategizing how she would be able to make it past the second phase.

“Anyways, the second phase will go on for an indefinite amount of time and will only end once the Queen and her board give the orders for it. How you were all sorted into these teams was based on your social performance, your performance in the first round and a slight hand in randomization. We will still have social events scattered throughout the second phase, but whether or not you will be judged on these social events is based on the Queen’s board. Additionally, teams may be placed onto certain missions and goals throughout phase two, which will also give me a measure of your performance besides through trainings and team fights. Are there any questions?”

No one spoke as all eyes were still on the leader in front of the room. Hercules nodded his head, a small smile perched on his face. He scratched his cheek before giving his team a cheeky smile. “Just do well and you can stay. Anyways, our first training starts today in the courtyard. We will be just sparring against each other for best of three, somewhat like how the first phase of the competition underwent. The times of our trainings will also vary day by day and will not always be at the same time.”

“Anyways,” Hercules hopped off the stage and made his way towards the exit of the ballroom. “Let us go to the courtyard, shall we? We can do introductions down there before we start your trainings - nothing like staying out and getting some fresh air.”

Once Hercules left the door frame of the ballroom, the rest of the competitors that were in the ballroom also stood and followed their leader out. Elsa decided to wait and linger in the back because she had Olaf with her. Once the last competitor stood, Elsa stood as well and whistled for Olaf to follow her.

The Golden Pegasuses eventually arrived in the courtyard. Hercules ushered for them to gather around in a circle and introduce themselves to everyone else. In the midst of the circle formation, Kristoff was leading a group of competitors through the courtyard. Elsa’s eyes studied the group, realizing that Kristoff had a couple of the Southern Isles Princes, but not a single Eric in sight.

“Ah, the leader of the Copper Cerberus! Where are you guys heading out to?” Hercules asked curiously.

“To the shore. Their first training will be there.” Kristoff answered.

Hercules nodded his head. “I wish you all the best of luck!” He exclaimed as Kristoff and his group of competitors exited the courtyard.

“Well, go ahead and introduce yourselves!” Hercules encouraged his group.

Elsa stood around, watching as one of the Princes of the Southern Isles had decided to step up and introduce himself first. From then on, they went on introducing themselves in a counterclockwise circle. It seemed that the twelve Southern Isles Princes, all except the eldest, were all evenly divided between the three teams. On the Golden Pegasus team, the second, fifth, eighth and tenth sons were there. Elsa recalls Hans, the youngest of the thirteen and the one that was nearest in age to Anna and herself, was in the Copper Cerberus group.

Once everyone had introduced themselves, Hercules started pairing people off. Although, when he came down to the handful of competitors that were not partnered, including Elsa herself, Hercules scratched his cheek in confusion. “Huh, I guess we have an odd number of people on my team. In that case, one of you will have the honor of fighting me. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to not give it my all.”

At the leader’s suggestion, all of the remaining competitor’s eyes widened except Elsa’s. Hercules laughed at his team’s reaction. “Well, if that’s the case, the girl with the wolf.” All eyes were casted onto Elsa and Olaf. “You will be facing me for this training exercise. I’ll pair the rest of you off.”

Elsa nodded her head, whistling for Olaf to follow her as the young competitor was planning on tying Olaf to a post. The wolf, unaware of what was going to happen, trotted behind Elsa. Elsa grabbed the metal leash and hooked it on the collar around Olaf before tying it to the metal gate. When Elsa stepped back, a familiar voice rung through the air.

“You don’t think he can break the gate?”

Elsa looked up, meeting those teal eyes that she had a pleasurable morning with. The competitor looked back down at Olaf, who was staring up at Anna with his tail wagging excitedly. “Oh, I know he can break the gate.”

Anna giggled, the sound being music to Elsa’s ears. The Queen descended down the small number of stairs before standing next to Elsa with her hand extended out. “I can hold on to him while you train.”

Elsa shook her head. “It’s alright, Your Majesty. You don’t need to waste your time.”

Anna smiled. “I wouldn’t be wasting my time. Besides, I _insist.”_ The Queen emphasized with a small smirk. Elena rolled her eyes before handing Anna the leash. The Sigil knew that if Olaf were to stay calm, the only way he would be able to was if Anna was there. Oddly, the wolf grew a liking to the Queen and would always obey her.

“Who are you going up against?” Anna inquired, looking at the Golden Pegasuses to see the competitors starting to pair off against each other.

“Hercules.”

Anna’s eyes widened at the mention of the team leader. “What? Why?”

Elsa shrugged her shoulders as her icy blue eyes landed on the leader, who was approaching the pair. “We don’t have enough people and everyone else was afraid.”

Before Anna could rebuttal, Hercules had appeared in front of the couple and placed an arm around Elsa’s shoulder, his arm heavier than Elsa expected as the competitor slightly stumbled forward. Olaf, watching the interaction, had his hazel eyes narrow at the bulky, tan man.

“Ready Elena?

Anna’s own teal eyes narrowed at the Queen consort of Exodus. Anna wasn’t sure why Hercules was already picking on Elena, but Anna had a feeling it was because of her interest in the girl. Hercules was always an older brother to Anna, and this was an opportunity for him to test out Elena.

“Hercules.” Anna growled. The tan man turned towards his friend with a large smile and laughter.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on her.” 

Elsa looked between the two and their interaction. Hercules took this entire situation as if it was a grain of salt, laughing and joking while Anna looked like she was out for blood. Did they have bad blood?

“You don’t have to go easy on me. I want you to give it your all so that I can improve.” Elsa answered the leader. Hercules, whose blue eyes widened in shock, looked down at his team member. 

“I like your spirit but trust me when I say that I would be doing everyone a favor for going easy on you.”

Elena stepped back and tilted her head to the side, looking up at the man who was still staring at her with a shocked expression.

“I want to improve, and how is that possible if you’re going to go easy on me?”

A silence. Hercules wasn’t sure how to answer the girl. No one has ever asked Hercules to not go easy on them. In fact, people asked the man if he could go easy on them when they sparred, understanding Hercules extraordinary strength and skill on the battlefield. Anna, on the other hand, looked as equally shocked with Hercules. She wasn’t sure why Elena was basically begging for a death wish. Did she not want to get to the end of the competition?

Olaf merely wagged his tail as he looked between the three, oblivious to the silent tension in the air.

“Well, shall we get started?” Elsa asked, walking over to the stand of wooden weapons. An array of them were available, from bow and arrows that were completely made of wood, to wooden axes, swords, claymore, daggers, knives… All wooden to ensure that no one hurt or killed anyone else on the first day. They were expected to give it their all for the first training after all.

Hercules nodded his head, following his trainee towards the array of weapons. Elsa opted for a sword and a few of throwing daggers while Hercules picked up a sword and shield. The two proceeded to find an empty spot to spar against each other, a spot that gave Queen Anna a good view of the mock battle that would unfold.

“This is best of three, Elena. If I hit you three times, then that is a point for me. If one of us hits each other at a vital point, then the round is over.”

Elsa nodded her head, holding her sword up and feeling the wooden pieces jiggle in her pocket. The large man looked at how Elsa only held up a sword, one that was lighter and only required a one hand use. Hercules looked at the girl in disbelief. “You don’t want a shield even with your one-handed sword?”

Elsa shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”

Hercules rolled his eyes. “If you say so, but don’t get too cocky.”

Elsa only nodded her head and held her sword up, waiting for her team leader to make the first move. Hercules, reading Elena’s move, decided to attack first considering that he knew she wasn’t going to initiate. Hercules, after inching himself closer, swung his sword down onto the competitor.

Elsa was quick to deflect it with her sword, but from the impact, Elsa recognized the sheer strength which Hercules had. With that in mind, Elsa quickly hopped back and retreated, her icy blue eyes still cool, calm and collected, as if being struck by the strongest man on the planet didn’t faze her.

Hercules raised his eyebrow at Elsa’s retreat. What was this trainee’s plan? Hercules knew that Elena knew she couldn’t match his monumental strength, hence why the trainee had deflected and created distance between them, but even as Elena had retreated, the girl didn’t initiate a counterattack. Typically, new trainees didn’t have the patience to wait. They would have taken the opportunity to lunge at Hercules after his attack, assuming that he wouldn’t be able to deflect their attack with his shield (which he was more than capable of doing).

Hercules lunged forward towards Elena again, bringing his sword down and watching as the younger girl quickly deflected his attack with her sword. At the right second, Hercules shoved his hand that held his shield, hoping to knock Elena back as he assumed that she was using all her energy and power to deflect the strength of his first blow.

Instead, what surprised Hercules was how the younger girl quickly spun, escaping from the shield’s blow while being able to smoothly get out of Hercules’s sword. Hercules felt a rush of wind through his hair followed by a painful impact against his side.

Hercules turned around; his eyes wide as Elena still had her back to him. The trainee was turning around, her sword still up but was in no position that could have hit Hercules at his side. The man made sure of it that his sword was positioned against Elena’s in a way that even if she were to escape, the angle wouldn’t be able to be near Hercules’s body. When his blue eyes looked to the ground, the leader found the source of what had hit him.

A small piece of wood that was supposed to imitate that of throwing knives or stars, but was more on the blunter side, had fallen to the ground next to his feet. In order for Elena to even have the capability to dodge, deflect, retract and attack all at once against Hercules showed the young girl’s astounding speed and reaction time. The only other person that he knew was capable of doing this was Kallum.

Hercules chuckled, a large smile on his face as he shook his head in disbelief for himself. “Wow, I did not expect that from you, Elena.”

Elena shrugged her shoulders, but her sword was still held up. Hercules, looking at the younger girl’s stance, tried to determine how he should strike her next. The leader had never seen this stance held by anyone before, but it seemed to be effective if Elena was able to deflect and dodge Hercules’s attacks, even with his overwhelming strength against her.

Hercules carefully inched his way forward, watching Elena’s form start to move and adjust based on how Hercules moved. The leader was impressed at the younger girl being able to adapt to her enemy’s movements in the slightest ways - something which even someone with years of experience in fighting still had difficulty with.

Hercules, with enough space between himself and Elena, slammed his shield down onto the competitor. Elena quickly deflected it, the edge of her sword precisely blocking the shield from coming down as it came into impact with the edge of the shield. Hercules proceeded to use his other hand to slash the sword against Elena.

The leader, and half of the rest of the team who were now watching, had expected Elena to take the hit. She had nowhere else to go, being held down by not only Hercules’s strength, but by the heaviness and surface area of the shield. Although, the young competitor surprised everyone by angling her body and sword against the shield, having Hercules’s shield slip from coming down against her to falling to her right side while she slid away. His own sword came into contact with his shield and the man felt another piece of wood bluntly hit against his bicep that held the shield.

Another deafening silence. All eyes that were in the courtyard now rested on Elena Snow, who still held her sword up in a defensive position. Hercules looked back down at the fallen dagger and chuckled to himself again. 

“Alright, I get it now. You are right, you do need a challenge.”

And with that, Hercules proceeded to pick the dagger up by positioning his foot so that it was tossed up in the air. With another swift kick from the same foot that picked up the wooden dagger, the weapon quickly went soaring towards Elena. The competitor deflected the flying dagger with her sword but did not expect the speed that Hercules held. The man stood in front of Elsa once again, his sword swinging down at the girl. Elena barely dodged the sword by sliding backwards. Meanwhile, as she slid backwards, her fingers quickly released hold of the daggers that she withdrew from her pocket.

Hercules held his shield up in an instant, trying to block the daggers from attacking him. The shield did block it, but the number of daggers that Elena threw with its sheer force and speed had caused it to pierce into the wooden shield.

Elena threw one last dagger and watched as Hercules blocked it precisely how she would have wanted him to. She watched as the shield cracked once her last dagger implanted itself into the spot that she was aiming for. The shield didn’t fall apart, but was basically ripped down the middle, split halfway through and barely attached.

Hercules shook his head before angling his shield and throwing it at Elena as if it was some sort of disc. Elena positioned herself to dodge the flying shield and heard it crack against the wall of the courtyard, small pieces of wood falling to the ground from impact.

Although, in the midst of Elena dodging the large, flying shield, she felt a painful thump against her thigh. The competitor looked down to see her own dagger that she had previously thrown at Hercules at her feet. 

_The shield was just a distraction to land an attack on me using my used weapons…_

Hercules smiled brightly at the younger girl. He held his sword up but waited for Elena to make the move this time. Elsa watched the man stand, unmoving in his defensive stance.

The leader’s voice rang through the air. “You have to learn how to also initiate, Elena.”

Elena nodded her head, calculating the distance between herself and Hercules while reading the man’s defensive stance. After a few seconds passing, the competitor was quick to rush towards Hercules. Hercules, expecting the competitor to rush at him, used his footwork to quickly pick up Elena’s daggers from the ground before throwing it at her.

If there was one thing unexpected about Hercules, it was his footwork. He was known for his strength, but none except those he had struggled to fight against or those he was close with knew his talent in using his feet and legs to win battles. Although, if you looked into it, it made sense considering that Hercules’s mentor was Philoctetes, a short man who had lost his previous mentee from his weak heel.

As if Elena foresaw the daggers and their trajectory, the competitor ducked and dodged and moved fluidly through the courtyard, quickly cutting the distance and slashing her sword at Hercules. The leader’s eyes were now blown wide at the speed that his trainee contained. 

What Hercules didn’t expect was a fist to also come flying from his side. No one has ever dared to throw punches at him, and it was so unexpected that even as his sword was still in equal strength against Elena’s, her punch gutted Hercules to the side of his abdomen. The man released a cough and a small groan. 

Elena quickly slid back, retreating away from the fight and looking at the man with a curious look. No one said anything as Hercules rubbed his side from the punch that Elena had delivered to him. The silence continued for a few more seconds until Elena tilted her head to the side, her flowing platinum-blonde hair following along with her head tilt. “Does that count as a point?”

Hercules laughed at the trainee, a small smile graced his face and surprising everyone since he had lost to the younger girl. He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Sure, that counts as a point. Good job, Elena.”

Elena nodded her head. “Thanks.”

Hercules, finally realizing how quiet the courtyard was, turned to the rest of his team to notice that they were staring at him and Elena with eyes wide and mouth agape. Hercules’s face scrunched up in confusion. “Are you guys all done with your three rounds?”

One lone soul stuttered a “yes”.

“Oh, I see.” Hercules chuckled. He turned his attention back towards Elena, who already had her sword up as if she was ready for a second round. “I guess our single match took a long time, Elena. I think that we will be fine with that one match if everyone else is done. I have to explain the upcoming trainings and the drills anyways.”

Elena nodded her head as she held the wooden sword down. Hercules acknowledged the girl before turning to the rest of his team. The man tossed the sword to the ground and clapped his hands together. “Alright team, gather around as I explain to you about what future trainings will look like and what off-training conditionings I expect from each of you.”

The mention of conditionings outside of trainings caused an eruption of mutters and groans. Hercules rolled his eyes. “Being the Golden Pegasuses, I refuse for us to lose to the Silver Kitsunes or Copper Cerebuses. As my mentor has always said, ‘Giving up is for rookies’, and also that ‘Two Words: We aren’t retired.’”

Elsa tilted her head to the side as she processed Hercules’s pep talk, especially the latter part of the talk.

_Isn’t that three words?_

“Anyways!” Hercules clapped his hands again. “Gather around as I explain this. After I do, you all can be dismissed and that’ll give you ample time to work on that off-training conditioning!” 

Another round of grumbles, but everyone on the team gathered around Hercules as he started to explain his expectations of the conditionings and trainings. Elena’s blue eyes quickly darted to Anna, who was rubbing Olaf on the head. The chain wasn’t broken or strained one bit, giving Elena slight relief to know that her wolf didn’t cause Anna any trouble.

“Okay, class dismissed!” Hercules cheered with a merry smile. All the other Golden Pegasuses only nodded their heads tiredly before exiting out of the courtyard. From their dismissal, Elena quickly made her way towards Anna and Olaf, smiling softly as Olaf had turned his attention to his approaching partner, tail wagging excitedly and hazel eyes bright.

“Thanks for taking care of him.” Elena smiled, accepting the leash that Anna had passed on to her. The blonde bent down to the ground and unleashed the metal chain from Olaf’s collar before taking the cotton collar off entirely.

“It’s not a problem.” Anna smiled at the girl kindly. Elsa nodded her head, looking down at Olaf before looking back up at the Queen. “I should get going to do that conditioning.”

Anna nodded her head, watching as Elena bent down to give Olaf’s head a pat. With another smile by Elena, Anna watched as the girl turned on her heel, about to walk out of the castle.

Anna wasn’t sure what pushed her to be so bold, maybe it was after last night’s events and the early comforts of this morning, but Anna spoke. “Wait.”

Elsa halted her movements and turned around, her blue eyes confused and full of curiosity and interest as to why Anna had halted her from going. The Queen nervously casted her teal eyes down, her bottom lip coming into her teeth in a small nibble.

“Would you want to eat dinner together? You can invite Eric if you would like to.”

Elsa looked at the girl, her eyes tender and her heart beating rapidly against her chest. “You wouldn’t have to tend to the leaders?” Elsa figured that it would be formal for Anna to have to have a dinner with the leaders, especially if they were newcomers to the competition.

Anna shook her head. “Hercules tends to like to go out and enjoy the night life on his first night in Arendelle, and that’s not really my scene. The leader of the Silver Kitsunes also does his work at night for the most part.”

Elsa nodded her head. A small smile carved into her lips. “Sure, let’s do dinner.”

At Elena’s answer, Anna’s teal eyes brightened and immediately looked up from the ground in, glimmering with hope. “Really?”

“Of course, it would be a pleasure to have dinner with you, Your Majesty. I just have one request.”

Anna’s eyebrows furrowed. “And what may that be?”

“Meet me at Oaken’s Inn for dinner tonight. No dinner in the castle.” Elena said. Anna looked at the girl, confusion still etched across her features. Nonetheless, Anna nodded her head in response.

“Great, I’ll see you then, Your Majesty.” Elena said, offering the girl a smile before turning on her heel and leaving.

As Anna watched Elena’s retreating figure leave the courtyard of the castle and eventually step foot to exit the bridge of the castle, the Queen felt two presences next to her.

“Nice choice, Anna.” Hercules teased smugly. Anna rolled her eyes.

The second voice spoke up. “She does have potential.” 

Anna nodded her head in agreement as she turned towards the sound of the second voice: the leader of the Silver Kitsunes, a man with grey eyes and dark, brown hair. His attire never changed throughout the years - still in his white, button up collared shirt and black slacks.

“I’ve never seen anyone with that much speed or dexterity, especially with how she fought against me with the use of those throwing daggers. It reminds me somewhat of your style, Kallum.”

The leader of the Silver Kitsunes chuckled, shaking his head. “Another individual skilled with throwing weapons?”

“Yeah, but those wooden things hurt like a bitch.” Hercules said with a laugh.

“It seems that you have found the Captain of your team?” Kallum asked.

“We will see. Have you found yours yet?” 

Kallum shook his head. “They have training tonight, so we shall see what their performance is like. Nonetheless, I still can’t believe that you lost against your trainee.”

“One, that is cruel of you to make them have trainings at night. And two, that girl definitely has potential. Heck, I can see her being on level or even better than Kristoff.”

“What is her name?” Kallum inquired, his grey eyes finally looking at Anna with a raised eyebrow.

“Elena Snow. She’s just a commoner from the Kingdom of Corona.” Anna answered.

Kallum looked back in the distance as if he could see Elena still on the bridge of the castle. “She seems to fight exceptionally well against Hercules considering that she is a commoner. No privilege in being a noble and having that training since birth.”

Anna shrugged her shoulders. “Even as a commoner, her parents taught her how to fight well at a young age. She just does little errands from the Kingdom’s board.”

“So, like a mercenary?”

Anna shrugged her shoulders. Was Elena considered a mercenary? Anna didn’t really delve into the details of what she exactly did. The Queen noted to ask the girl later that evening. “She lives with a group of her friends she considers a second family.”

Kallum continued to stare at the Queen. “It seems that you know quite a bit about her.” Kallum stared back at the bridge. “I wonder why. The striking similarities can be deceiving.”

Anna released a huff of breath, understanding what Kallum was trying to imply. “She’s nothing like Elsa.”

Kallum nodded his head. “I agree.” The Spymaster turned so that his back faced the bridge. “If Elsa was the one going against Hercules, she would have easily won against him. Elena has a bit more of a... creative fighting style. Elena doesn’t seem to show any emotion or passion in her fighting, a very impassive fighter. Even so, she can’t amount to Elsa’s talent because of the lack of emotions.”

With that, Kallum walked back into the castle, most likely going to his room to plan out the rest of his night. Anna sighed, shaking her head and looking ahead at the bridge. Anna had to admit that there are times where Elena Snow can be chivalrous and mysterious, a wall up as if she was making sure no one saw past the front she was putting. No passion or bright light ever emitted, but their social interactions with one another was completely different. Elena was more extroverted, more social but in a way where she was still impassive? It was hard for Anna to explain, but Anna could come to one definite conclusion.

Elena Snow is nothing like Elsa Winters.


	25. Ice Cream

“I’m sorry that I can’t make it, Elena.” Eric said as the two walked through a small row in Arendelle that had stands of groceries and fresh produce. Elena shook her head, her eyes scanning the produce at one of the stands that they stopped in front of.

“It’s okay. I’m surprised that Spymaster Kallum is making you guys do today’s training at night. I always heard how he’s more of an early riser.” Elsa reached over to pick up a few potatoes. The shopkeeper nodded their head, keeping track of what Elsa placed in her reusable bag. The Sigil proceeded to pick up a few carrots.

“I’m just glad that I get to be trained under Spymaster Kallum. I always looked up to him and his strategic battle plans, as well as the way he is able to quickly analyze his enemies at the start of every fight.” Eric praised. His blue eyes watched Elena pick up a bunch of asparaguses before paying the shopkeeper the cost of the vegetables she garnered.

The pair proceeded down the row of stands once again, Elsa guiding the two of them through the streets of Arendelle. “I’m glad that you are on his team. He will be able to help refine your skills.” Elsa spoke genuinely. After all, no one else knew, but she was personally trained by Kallum in her old life.

Eric nodded his head enthusiastically as they stopped in front of a butcher stand. “I also can’t wait for the team battles and the missions. I heard that phase two will extend up until there are sixteen competitors left.”

Elsa requested for a couple of chicken legs and breasts. The butcher nodded his head, reaching into his fridge to grab the protein that the competitor requested. “That may take a while.” Elsa answered Eric. The butcher handed Elsa the pieces of meat, to which the competitor stored it in her bag before reaching into her pocket to pay the butcher the cost.

“It might not take a while, actually.” Eric chuckled. “I heard that they may drastically cut the number of competitors after the first two weeks.”

“You really think so?” Elsa asked as they walked away from the butcher stand. The last thing that Elsa needed to grab was ingredients to make a simple, sweet dessert. The Sigil contemplated on grabbing a bottle of wine but thought back to exactly what happened the last time she consumed alcohol.

“There’s the team fights this week and apparently, they’re planning on assigning us to a team mission the following week.”

The pair stopped in front of another storefront. Elsa looked over the goods that were displayed in the front, pondering over what she exactly needed. The competitor pointed at the small carton of heavy cream and a chocolate bar before continuing to survey the available goods. “Where did you even get this information from?”

“I overheard a few guards talking about it after Spymaster Kallum introduced himself and dismissed us immediately after.” Eric answered. He watched as the girl picked out a basket of strawberries, a bunch of bananas and a small carton of milk on top of the heavy cream. The shopkeeper nodded their head and bagged the goods for Elena because her own bag was full.

Once the items were paid, the two competitors continued down the busy market row of Arendelle. “So, when do you think they will complete phase two of the competition?” Elsa asked, leading the pair towards Oaken’s Inn. The sun was already setting, signaling the start of the evening.

Eric had agreed to walk around the market with his fellow companion and walk her back to the Inn before heading towards the forest for his training with the Silver Kitsunes. “Probably a little over or less than a month, depending on how many people they plan on eliminating per week.”

“I better see you at the end of it, Eric.” Elsa smiled. The two exited out of the market row, ending up in the town square as citizens and competitors were gathered around the fountain, mingling and talking with one another. For the most part, from what Elsa could pick up on, the topic that was most discussed was phase two of the competition - how teams would fight against other teams for the public to see, how each team would do dangerous missions in order to test their skill in the actual real world and how the Southern Isles Princes would go head to head against each other, considering that they were all split into different teams.

“Did you also hear that they may pick team captains?” Elsa picked up on one conversation as they continued walking towards the path that led back to Oaken’s Inn.

“Yes, I did! I wonder how that would work? If it is permanent or rotated on a weekly basis? Would team captains get special treatment, meaning an absolute spot once phase two is over?” The conversation continued.

“Possibly! Or maybe, their expectations on their performance would be higher than the rest.”

Elsa couldn’t hear the rest of the conversation as herself and Eric continued through the town square. As the pair walked closer to the Inn and away from the square, the sounds of voices started to dwindle into silent whispers. The sun was almost out of the sky, the slightest slit of light still in the horizon but would make its grand exit in approximately five minutes. The streetlights within Arendelle started lighting up, signaling the start of the evening.

When Elsa and Eric had arrived at the front of Oaken’s Inn, two figures stood in the dimly lit entrance. A slimmer man leaning against the wall of the Inn, his dark brown hair was barely distinguishable in the darkness, but his grey eyes was what glinted in the setting. His attire was that of someone with high importance and sophistication - a white button up, black tie and black slacks. He had a black trench coat on as well that reached to the middle of his calves.

Next to the man was the Queen herself. Anna had her auburn hair down, and instead of her two usual dresses, the Queen was dressed in green long sleeve and dark blue tights. Her attire was something neither Eric or Elsa expected out of the Queen, and the only thing that allowed Elsa to identify that it was Anna, besides her strawberry blonde hair and teal eyes, was the black trench coat that the Queen also wore, matching that of the man that nodded his head when he saw Eric and Elsa arrive.

“Good evening.” Anna greeted the pair.

Eric bowed his head. “Good evening, Your Majesty, Spymaster Kallum.”

Spymaster Kallum nodded his head as he kicked off of the wall. “I will get going. Do you want me to come back for you once I finish with my training?” Kallum asked the Queen, his grey eyes looking over the younger girl with concern.

Anna shook her head. “I will be alright, Kallum.”

“Alright then.” Kallum said. The grey-eyed man turned to Elsa, and as their eyes met, the competitor felt a chill run through her body. Although, Elena couldn’t be intimidated by the man as he stared at her.

So, Elsa did what she thought Elena would do. The blonde tilted her head to the side, her eyes impassive and empty, but her actions speaking that she was confused as to why the Spymaster was staring her down as if she was prey.

Kallum’s response was a scoff, a shake of his head followed by a chuckle and his lips curving upward, almost as if he was smirking at the girl, belittling her.

“No greeting for the Spymaster or the Queen?” Kallum teased condescendingly.

Before Elsa could open her mouth in response, Anna’s voice intervened. “Leave her alone, Kallum.”

The Spymaster rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine. Only because you told me to, and I have to respect that kid’s wishes.” The grey-eyed man turned to Eric, who had his blue eyes blown wide as he watched the interaction between his team leader and his friend. “You are on my team, right?”

Eric, taking a moment to realize that the Spymaster was talking to him, nodded his head meekly.

“Cool, let’s get going to training.” Kallum commanded. Eric nodded his head shyly before scurrying after the Spymaster, who walked briskly into the night with purpose.

Once Eric and Kallum were out of earshot, Elsa heard Anna shift on her feet. “I’m sorry about him… He’s just overprotective of me.”

 _“As he should be.”_ Elsa thought. The competitor turned towards the girl and gave her one of her most infamous, chivalrous smiles. “That’s no problem, I understand.” Elena gestured towards the door. “Shall we?”

Anna nodded her head, taking a step to the side and allowed Elena to lead them inside. Once the pair stepped into Oaken’s Inn, the Inn itself was quiet and there were no patrons in sight. The Queen assumed it was because everyone was out and about, enjoying the night life of Arendelle. At the front stood a man with a large frame, a mustache decorating his face that somehow connected to the sideburns and dirty blonde hair on top of his head.

The man raised his large hand, his stubby fingers going back and forth in a small greeting. “Yoohoo! Hello Elena.”

Elena nodded her head to the man. “Good evening, Oaken.”

“Who’s your friend over here?” Oaken asked, his eyes casted over towards Anna. The man was clearly oblivious to political affairs even living in the city and Kingdom itself.

“This is Anna.” Elsa introduced the sovereign to Oaken. The man nodded his head.

“Do you want to book a room?”

“That’s not needed, Oaken.” Elsa answered. The man raised his eyebrow, his eyes looking between Anna and Elsa before a small, girly giggle emitted out of his mouth.

“Oh, I see. I understand.” Oaken gave a non-subtle wink to Elsa, causing the older girl to roll her eyes. Anna giggled at their interaction. “If you have time, you can always go to Oaken’s Sauna! I will throw a visit there without charge on your account, Elena.”

“We’re fine, Oaken.” Elsa hissed in both irritation and hopes to quickly end this embarrassing conversation. The man nodded his head enthusiastically, his eyes darted between Anna and Elena. The man released another girly giggle, as if he was gossiping like a teenager.

“Have a _nice_ night, you two.”

Elena rolled her eyes before grabbing onto Anna’s hand, hoping to quickly get them out of this situation and force the sovereign to not continue the conversation with the Innkeeper. Anna, unaware of Elena’s motive, felt her voice be lost in her throat at the action Elsa had initiated. The taller girl led the two away from the lobby and towards the set of stairs, where they went up three flights before turning into the hallway. 

The hallway descended down quite a bit, holding about four rooms on each side of the hall. The wood was a soft, light-colored oak. Elsa continued to hold Anna’s hand even after being out of Oaken’s sight, leading them down the hallway until they reached the end of it. To the left side of the hall was a door that had the number “308” on it.

Elsa released Anna’s hand, and the younger girl frowned at the lack of warmth and touch from the competitor. With her hand that she had just released from Anna’s grasp, the competitor dug into her pocket to fish out a golden key. Elsa stuck the key in the keyhole, turned it and unlocked the door to the unit she was currently staying in.

Elsa stepped inside and Anna followed in, taking notice of the inn that the competitor was staying in. The unit was definitely more unique than usual inn rooms. This specific unit had a small kitchen to the right that was separated by a small bar and a passageway without a door. To the right was the living room, a couch present while a desk and chair was also on the right.

In the small room, a bit ahead of the kitchen, was another wooden door that Anna assumed would lead to the bathroom or bedroom, or maybe both. In a sense, Elena was basically living in a one-bedroom apartment.

“Huh, I didn’t know that the board members in charge of the competition chose favorites either.” Anna teased. Elsa shook her head with a small laugh as she walked into the kitchen to set the groceries down. Anna followed the girl, sitting on one of the high bar stools before placing her elbows on the bar table that separated the living room to the kitchen.

“They don’t. I just used the funds and spent a little bit of my own extra funds to book this room. Also, Oaken saw me and immediately attacked me with the words “Big Summer Blowout”.”

Anna laughed, her eyes watching as Elena retrieved a knife and cutting board. The older girl turned to set the fire in the oven, and Anna couldn’t help her eyes drift through Elena’s muscular but slim frame.

“He’s an interesting man.” Anna’s teal eyes drifted down to Elena’s legs, recognizing how long and tantalizing they were. 

“He’s a tease, that’s what he is.” Elsa grumbled, sticking her hand into the oven to make sure that heat was being emitted.

Anna bit the bottom of her lip, her eyes quickly averting upwards when she noticed that Elena was turning around. “I’m just surprised he doesn’t know who I am.”

“He’s a very oblivious man.” Elsa chuckled. The competitor unloaded her groceries and started to season the chicken thighs and breast. “It’s good though, isn’t it? We wouldn’t want a scandal and gossip throughout the Kingdom. I can see the headlines now: Queen Anna picking a favorite competitor?”

Anna rolled her eyes as she spotted the hint of cockiness in Elena’s voice. Elsa was never cocky, nor did the latter have a confident and chivalrous smile as Elena’s. Elsa was quiet, reserved and more on the introverted side.

Elena, on the other hand, was someone that didn’t have these personality qualities, and it definitely showed through her smiles, laughs and tone of voice. The only thing that Anna could spot similar between the two was somewhat their features and the head tilts.

 _“Definitely not Elsa.”_ Anna thought as she watched the competitor quickly and expertly cut the vegetables in a fluid motion. Anna’s eyes widened at the speed.

“Someone is surprised that I can cook.” Elena teased. Anna’s teal eyes looked up to see a cocky smirk on Elena’s face that she wanted to smack and kiss at the same time.

 _“Wait, hold up, what?”_ Anna thought. The Queen knew that she had some sort of infatuation to the competitor and thought she was very attractive. Elena being attractive was an understatement. Even Princess Cecilia, which the thought of the girl left a bitter taste in Anna’s mouth, was making a move onto Elena.

“I-I-...” Anna stuttered. Elsa shook her head and chuckled. 

“Yes, Anna?”

“I just didn’t expect you to be able to cut vegetables so expertly and quickly.”

“Well, my friend does own a restaurant that I help out with on occasions. Besides, being precise also helps with fights and jobs.”

“Speaking of jobs, what do you exactly do?” Anna decided to ask, being reminded of the conversation she had prior with Kallum about Elena being a possible mercenary.

“I just do errands and tasks that are brought to me or posted on the board.” Elsa proceeded to season the vegetables.

“What kind of jobs?” Anna tried to push without being so pushy.

“Any kind of job.” Elsa answered, placing the vegetables in a sheet that was separate from the chicken. The competitor turned towards the sink to wash her hands before proceeding to grab the trays and place them into the oven.

“Could you give me a few examples?” Anna asked. Elena turned around, looking at the girl with cool, blue eyes before her gaze shifted towards the drawers. The competitor proceeded to open each drawer, trying to find what she needed.

“Well, someone had lost their cat and I had to go find it. I get a reward for bringing the cat back.” Elsa answered. She wasn’t entirely lying… she did accept a job from a citizen of the Kingdom of Silva who lost her cat. Tracking that cat took Elsa five hours. _Dumb cat._

“What about things relating to the need to go into combat? Anyone who has seen you compete or has heard of the competition knows that you are skilled in combat.” Anna tried to lead.

“You mean like being an assassin?” Elsa asked so nonchalantly. Anna felt a chill run through her body when Elena had said that so simply and easily.

“I guess, yeah. Like a mercenary of sorts.” 

Elsa placed a couple of plates, cutlery, two glasses and a couple of sealable bags onto the table. The competitor hummed and turned back to the oven to check on the vegetables. “Yes, I do. I also do jobs that require combat, whether it's to escort someone of importance across land, help win small skirmishes and battles or even kill.”

Anna felt her stomach double over as Elena turned back to her, her icy, blue eyes cool and impassive. How was this competitor saying these things so nonchalantly? As much as Anna wanted to learn more about the competitor and was infatuated by her, she couldn’t help a sliver of fear run through her body, her blood turning cold at the thought of Elena using her talent to kill.

“Are you alright Anna? You’re shivering.”

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine.” The Queen looked away from those eyes she couldn’t read. Even though Elsa’s and Elena’s eyes were the same color, they both held different tones to each other. Elsa’s eyes were always soft, loving and compassionate. Elena’s eyes were impassive and empty, as if it was hiding millions of secrets.

“Would you mind if I used the washroom?” Anna squeaked. Elena tilted her head to the side in confusion before nodding her head.

“Sure. If you go into the wooden door at the end of this room to the left, you should be in the bedroom. In the bedroom, the bathroom is connected to it.”

“Thanks.” Anna quickly said before hopping off of the barstool. The black trench coat still covered her body as she walked into the said room.

Once Anna had left, Elsa released a groan of irritation and ran a hand through her unruly, platinum blonde hair.

_You idiot, you just admitted that you’re a cold-blooded killer. Of course she’s going to react that way._

Elsa shook her head and emitted another sigh. This was good, right? Anna would never expect Elsa to become a cold-blooded killer. And in a sense, she was kind of a mercenary? She did tasks under what the Sigils wanted her to do and under their beliefs in fighting a greater evil. That was somewhat, kind sorta like what mercenaries do, right? Just without the omission of the fact that mercenaries don’t give a shit and that they do things indifferently, which is something that Elsa has to do as Elena anyways. 

How else would she be able to explain Elena’s extraordinary skills in combat as a commoner?

Anna doesn’t arrive back out until long later. Elsa just finished plating the food when the Queen arrives, her complexion not as pale as before and her trembles have stopped.

Elsa sighs and places the plate of food in front of the Queen. She has also placed a glass of wine next to the meal, but the icy blue eyes look away in hesitance. Another tense silence enraptures the room as Anna takes a seat and looks down at the food, scared of looking up at the competitor.

“I’m sorry.” Anna barely hears her voice as it whispers quietly. Anna looks up to see the competitor, her face definitely contorted in stress and concern, but her blue eyes never met the Queen’s. She watched as Elena ran a hand through her long, platinum-blonde tresses.

“What are you sorry for?” Anna barely asks.

“I shouldn’t have been so forward about what I do…” A pause. Anna isn’t sure how to reply but is surprised that Elena continues to speak. “But that is what I do. I do tasks for people that can range from something as small as escorts or finding something to as large as taking a life. Am I proud of it? Sometimes, not really, but maybe that’s why I’m also here.”

Anna looks at the girl quizzically, noticing how those impassive eyes haven’t moved from the plate that was in front of her.

“All my life, I’ve been trained to be an asset. I’ve been trained to protect and possibly kill, and I had to use that skill somehow to get by with life and to help support my friends - to help them get closer to happiness. Although, I want to try to change that, and maybe winning this competition and making my name out there is a first step. Instead of using my combat skills to kill, maybe I can use them to protect and kill only to protect.”

Anna blinks, her teal eyes wide as Elena sighs again. “I understand if you want to go back to the castle. I can take you back now, or maybe if you don’t feel safe with me, I can ask Oaken to find someone to take you back.”

There is another silence, and Elena takes that silence as the Queen wanting to go back. The competitor nods her head and leaves the kitchen. “I’ll go talk to Oaken.”

“No.”

Anna’s voice surprises both Elena and herself. Anna didn’t know what came over her, but she spilled whatever was on the tip of her tongue. “I want to stay.”

Elena chuckles lowly and in disbelief. “You shouldn’t feel the need to stay.”

Anna shakes her head and hops off of the highchair. The Queen slowly walks to Elena, who still has her back to the girl. Her small, dainty hand reaches over and her fingers brush against Elena’s. Anna feels Elena’s hand stiffen for a moment before relaxing as Anna starts rubbing soft, soothing circles on the competitor’s hand.

“I genuinely want to stay. You deserve to be able to try and change and stray away from your current path. I know that you wouldn’t kill if it wasn’t a choice, Elena.”

Elena chuckled darkly, and although Anna flinched, she never retracted her hand away from the competitor. “You haven’t seen me on the battlefield - you haven’t seen me kill. I kill with no sympathy, no feeling and no emotion. Even after I have taken the life, I feel nothing.”

Anna shakes her head even though she knows Elena can’t see her. “You’re wrong.”

The Queen’s accusation causes the competitor to turn around. When those cold, icy blue eyes meet Anna’s teal ones, she suppresses a gasp and tries to contain the overwhelming shiver that runs down her spine.

“You don’t know me.”

“Then let me get to know you.” Anna says, her teal eyes looking down to their hands that are clasped with one another still. Her hand feels cold, but it doesn’t bother Anna. “You wouldn’t be a mercenary if it didn’t bring in good income for you and your friends. You wouldn’t be a mercenary if you were financially stable. You’re a mercenary not because you want to be, you take lives not because you enjoy it, but because you want to get the reward out of it so that your friends can be happy doing what they want to do.”

“Anna…”

“Can we get back to dinner, please?” The pad of her thumb continues to rub circles on Elena’s cool skin, as if she is trying to warm up the older girl. “I want to enjoy the night and get to know you, Elena Snow. I want to learn about you from yourself, not from rumors or assumptions.”

Elena nods her head, her hard, cold eyes softening just the slightest, causing the Queen to relax as well. “Okay.” 

“Good.” Anna smiled. The Queen tugged Elena’s hand, causing the older girl to nod her head and follow Anna back to the kitchen. The Queen released hold of Elena’s and hopped onto the barstool, her mouthwatering at the scent of the meal once she actually processed it. 

Elsa walked back into the kitchen and stood on the other side of the bar, facing Anna with her own meal in front of her. Anna looked down at the meal, her eyes glinting and shining brightly at the sight of food in front of her.

Anna sliced into the chicken breast, watching as the juices flooded out from the cut. She placed the piece of meat to her mouth, taking a bite and chewing it. The sovereign closed her eyes, humming in appreciation as she tasted the unique spices that Elena had used to season the chicken.

“You didn’t tell me you were an amazing cook.” Anna said, taking a few pieces of the vegetables and placing it elegantly in her mouth. The Queen hummed again, feeling her body relax as she tasted the umami and unique fat that was used to roast the vegetables. “Can you just be my personal chef once the competition is over?”

Elsa laughed, cutting into her own meal and taking a bite as well. “It’s nothing too big. I’ve learned from Rachel on how to cook well. My friends and I always have cooking competitions as well, and it helps to refine my cooking skills especially if I’m on missions.” The image of Rapunzel flashes in Elsa’s mind.

Anna nodded her head as she continued to savor each and every bite. “Well, I think this meal is amazing.” Her eyes glowed brightly as she opened them. When her teal eyes landed onto Elena, she noticed the look of admiration that the competitor had on her face. Anna looked away, feeling her stomach flutter with butterflies. Sure, she had received these looks from others, from other competitors to suitors, but they never had a large effect on her. The last time it did affect her was five years ago, and even then, it was too long for Anna to remember what it felt like.

“Thank you, but I also bought things for desserts that I was hoping you can lend a helping hand with.” Elena offered.

The sovereign hesitantly looked at the competitor. Elena tilted her head to the side, looking at the Queen as if she, herself, was confused as to why Anna was looking at her as if she had grown an extra head.

“As much as I would love to make something, I don’t think I am capable of cooking or baking. I’ll ruin the dessert.” Anna tried to rebuttal.

Elena shook her head. “Don’t worry, you can’t ruin this dessert. I’ll be there to help, and there’s no possible way you could.”

“What makes you think that?” Anna frowned.

“Trust me.” Elsa said. “Once you try your dessert, you’ll love it.”

“Okay, I’ll try it.” Anna smiled.

Elena nodded her head enthusiastically. The two continued to talk, and the way their conversation flowed made Anna feel so much more relaxed. With Elena, Anna didn’t have to worry about putting a front or making herself seem proper around the girl. In fact, when the sovereign released a small and uncontrolled burp, Elena stared at the girl for a brief second before releasing a loud belch.

Silence only encompassed the room for a few seconds before Anna broke out in a fit of giggles. In her fit of laughter, the Queen didn’t notice the soft, blue eyes that admired the Queen’s laughter. In her fit of laughter, Anna didn’t notice how, for a sliver of a second, the affectionate smile that she was searching for in the past five years had shown itself, admiring the Queen for all that she was and still is.

“Where did you learn how to burp like that?’ Anna asked, wiping the tears from her eyes while Elena shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, the affectionate gaze long gone.

“Two of my friends tend to have burping challenges.” Elsa explained, thinking back to how Merida and Flynn would cause a whole competition against who can burp the longest and loudest.

Anna giggled again before her eyes looked down at her empty plate, surprised that she had finished the entire meal. 

“I’m glad that you enjoyed it.” Elena said kindly as she reached over to grab the empty plate. Anna hopped off of the barstool and walked into the kitchen, following Elena closely behind as she started washing the dishes.

“Let me help.” Anna smiled, standing next to Elena. The competitor looked at the Queen, offering her a smile of gratitude as she handed Anna a soapy dish. Anna rinsed the dish before drying it. Since it was only a meal for two, the cleaning was quick.

Anna felt a sense of normality as she rinsed the dishes and dried them. She was always told to never need to do this, her advisors and her parents thinking that it was useless for her to do other things that anyone else could have done, but with Elena, this task and feeling was something Anna had always wanted to experience. They stood next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, just doing something as mundane, simple and necessary as cleaning up dishes. 

The mere, domestic action and proximity to Elena caused Anna’s heart to beat wildly against her chest in the most comforting way possible.

Once the dishes were clean, Anna watched as Elena pulled out the milk and cream from the fridge. The competitor opened the freezer to pull out a bag of ice. She proceeded to open the four sealable bags on the table which she had set out earlier - two large ones and two smaller ones.

Elena grabbed the ice and filled it three fourths of the way in each of the larger, sealable bags. The competitor turned to Anna. “Could you put the milk and cream into the smaller bags?”

Anna nodded her head, reaching over to the cream and milk. “How much?”

“Just half of the milk and half of the cream in each bag.” Elena directed. The competitor took out a carton of salt and sprinkled it into the bag of ice.

Anna nodded her head, following the instructions that Elena had given her. Once the milk and cream were empty, the competitor leaned her body close to Anna, close enough for Anna to pick up on her scent of fresh snow and toasty vanilla.

 _“Their scents are similar as well… but I can’t remember what Elsa smelled like the last time.”_ Anna thought. Five years is a long time, easily enough time for a scent to disappear. Anna felt Elena’s forearm graze against hers as the competitor poured in sugar into the dairy of the bags. In one of the bags, Elsa also poured in a dark brown, syrupy liquid.

“Great! Now we just need to seal up the bag with the milk, cream and sugar and place it in the bag with the ice.”

Anna nodded her head, following as the competitor had directed her to. Once the bags were securely sealed, Elena smiled at the Queen and handed her the bag with the dark brown substance. “Now, all we have to do is constantly shake this for the next fifteen to twenty minutes, or until the contents of the dairy bag solidify enough to the consistency of ice cream.”

Anna’s teal eyes widened as she held the ice-cold bag, her fingers already numbing from the sensation. “This is going to make ice cream?”

Elsa nodded her head with a smile. “Yep! Yours should make chocolate ice cream. I figured that you really love chocolate, so I melted some down to create a syrup to make chocolate ice cream.”

Anna blinked and watched as Elena started to vigorously shake the bag, the sounds of ice clattering against each other echoed within the unit. Anna looked down at the bag in her hand, her hands already turning a slight red from the coldness of the bag.

“It might be a bit cold, but your hands will just feel numb overtime and get use to it.” Elsa said, shaking the bag continuously. “Come on, try it out.”

With a slight nod of her head, Anna started to vigorously shake the bag. The Queen felt the vibrations of the ice cubes clashing against each other at the tips of her fingers.

“My friends and I would always try to make our ice cream this way, adding some add-ins if we wanted to. It was always a fun activity, especially if we just wanted to fool around or exert some stress.” Elena said. “The salt decreases the freezing point of the ice, making it colder. As we shake the bag, it’s as if the liquid ice cream is being churned to become a bit more solid, especially because of the friction and transfer in temperature.”

Anna’s eyes widened as she continued shaking the bag. The Queen always learned about the science behind things, and knew what Elena was exactly saying, but integrating that knowledge into something like making ice cream was what surprised Anna.

“Sometimes, we would also just have fun with our bags by tossing them to each other.” Elena laughed, tossing her bag at Anna. The Queen’s teal eyes enlarged, and the younger girl released a small squeak as she threw her bag immediately after seeing Elena’s bag headed towards her. Anna caught the bag with a bit of a struggle while Elena had caught Anna’s bag effortlessly. When Anna had caught Elena’s bag, she noticed that the bag was slightly cooler than hers. Or maybe she was imagining since she was shaking her own bag of ice for the past ten minutes.

Although, Anna noticed how the ice had slowly been melting from the vigorous shaking, droplets of water from condensation dripping down onto the floor.

“Catch!” Elena said, quickly throwing the ice cream bag back at Anna. The Queen quickly threw the bag in her hand towards Elena, not making the best effort to aim it at the competitor. Nonetheless, the girl swiftly dove to catch the bag with ease while Anna barely stumbled with the bag that was thrown at her in her hands.

“Cold potato!” Elena cheered again, throwing the bag back to Anna. Anna, a bit faster to react, threw the bag in her hands and caught the one that Elena had thrown without as much of a struggle compared to the first two times.

“Cold potato!” Elena yelled again, tossing the bag to Anna. Anna repeated what she had done prior. Eventually, the two were in sync as they were throwing their bags of ice cream at each other, catching and throwing and catching and throwing. Anna giggled at the older girl’s playfulness. As the bags continued to fly through the air, water droplets traveled from the activity.

“And stop.” Elena declared. Anna held onto the bag of ice cream in her hands. The Queen looked down, noticing that it was the bag of chocolate ice cream. The ice had almost entirely melted, leaving a significant amount of cold water in its wake. The small bag of dairy had churned and transformed into something much thicker. Anna’s eyes widened at the sight and phenomenon.

Elena walked towards Anna, holding two wooden spoons as she held one out to Anna. Elena’s blue eyes looked softly at Anna; her lips curved upward in a small smile. “Congratulations! You made ice cream.”

Anna giggled, accepting the spoon and watched as Elena opened her own bag and pulled out the small bag of ice cream. Anna followed, opening the larger bag and pulling out the small bag of ice cream. The Queen felt the bigger bag being tugged away from her. When Anna looked back up, Elena had her hand on the other hand of her bag full of melted ice.

“You can take a seat. I’ll take this and dump out the water before we make a mess… or more of a mess than when we threw it around.” Elena said. Anna emitted a small giggle, nodding her head as she released hold of the bag of water.

When Elena had turned to go into the kitchen and dispose of the bags, Anna opened the small bag of ice cream, her eyes brightening much more when she realized that the diary concoction had indeed turned into ice cream. The Queen gazed down into the bag, as if she had discovered a hidden treasure.

“Why don’t you try it out?” Elena’s voice broke Anna out of her trance. The Queen looked up, seeing Elena had her spoon into the small bag of her vanilla ice cream. Anna nodded her head, using the spoon that Elena had given her to scoop up the chocolatey substance.

The spoonful of ice cream floated in the air as Anna stared at it in awe. She made ice cream. She had made ice cream through means of shaking a bag of ice and tossing it around with Elena. The Queen saw another spoon incoming, clashing against the spoon that she held. Her teal eyes looked up to see Elena give her a cheeky grin.

“Cheers.”

With that, Elena placed the spoon in her mouth, giving a small hum when she tasted the ice cream. Anna followed the competitor, bringing the spoon up to her lips and taking a bite. The Queen closed her eyes and hummed in content as she felt the creamy richness of the ice cream with the quality of the fused chocolate syrup that was flowing onto her taste buds. This was one of a best ice creams she tasted, even better than some of the stands in Arendelle.

“Do you like it?” Elena asked. The Queen nodded her head, humming in appreciation as she continued to take bites of her ice cream.

“I’m glad.” Elena said softly, watching as the Queen continued to devour and savor the ice cream that she had created. And as they stood, Anna devouring her ice cream with hums of content and Elsa slowly savoring hers, Elsa couldn’t help but feel her heart soar at the sight in front of her. She couldn’t help but feel her heart slam against the walls that she had built over the years. She couldn’t help but to feel those walls start to crack and shatter as she gazed at Anna. 

_My heart has only ever existed for you, my love._

Elsa knew it was true. Once she had joined the Sigils, there were many reasons why she was known as the Ice Queen. Besides her cold demeanor and her powers of ice, when she did need to kill, she killed without thought - without any feeling or emotion. The last thing a person would see before their death would be the winter snow and the impassiveness of the Ice Queen’s blue eyes. Even if Elsa had gone on missions where she would have to save people, where she would have to pretend to be interested in others, her heart was never really present. The last time Elsa has ever felt her heartbeat was five years ago, before the attack on Arendelle.

“Let’s take a seat and finish up our ice creams before I escort you back to the castle.” Elena suggested. Anna, who had her eyes closed in bliss, opened them to reveal those teal gems that shined brightly under the dim light. Elsa had to will herself to not swoon and gaze longingly at the young sovereign. Instead, Elena nudged her head towards the couch, motioning for the Queen to take a seat.

And as the night continued on with Anna sharing her childhood stories of absurd Princes and her life in Arendelle while Elena shared her stories about her friends, the competitor couldn’t help but admire the woman even more - the woman that she believed Anna would grow to be. Elsa always believed in Anna to be independent and driven enough to take charge and care for a Kingdom, and although the circumstances weren’t the greatest to how she did become Queen, Elsa wholeheartedly believed that the younger girl was ready.

Eventually though, their ice cream session came to a close and the night had already descended into the later hours. Elsa stood on her feet, offering Anna a hand. “We should get going before people see you out with little old me. We don’t want anyone thinking you chose favorites now, do we?”

Anna looked down at the hand, shaking her head as she accepted it with a small smile. “Indeed, we wouldn’t want another scandal on our hands.”

Elsa nodded her head, helping to dispose of the empty ice cream bags before guiding the Queen out of the unit of her inn. Elsa kept her hands clasped around Anna’s, guiding her back to the castle as they had planned. The pair descended the stairs, and Elsa let out a breath of relief when she noticed that Oaken was not at the front desk.

The pair walked through the town square. Anna, still dressed in her casual clothes and the black trench coat, followed Elena’s footsteps as her eyes casted towards the ground, making sure that no one would be able to look her in the eyes and recognize her. The Queen heavily concentrated all her focus on the mere touch and physical warmth/contact which Elena was providing. 

The two eventually arrived in the courtyard of the castle, much to Anna’s disappointment. Elena turned around so that she was facing the Queen, her hand still clasped tightly around the young girl’s. Her blue eyes watched as Anna’s teal ones looked up, shyly meeting the competitor’s gaze.

Elena gave her one of her infamous Elena smiles. “I really enjoyed tonight.”

“Me too.” Anna barely breathed out, already having her breath taken away at the sight of Elena’s intense, blue eyes. Especially with the moon and the stars softly glowing down on the competitor in front of her, her platinum-blonde hair shining brightly under the glow of the night. It made her look so ethereal, as if she was a deity that didn’t belong on this world.

“I hope to see you again soon, Your Majesty.” Elena said, bowing her head and bringing Anna’s hand up to her lips. The competitor placed a small, soft kiss on the back of Anna’s hand, causing the younger girl’s stomach to flutter.

“Thank you, Elena.” Anna barely whispered out; her cheeks flushed a light tint of pink. Elena lifted her head up, hand still softly grasping onto the Queen’s. Elena gave Anna another soft smile before gently releasing hold of the Queen’s hand. 

“Have a good night, Anna.”

With that, Elsa turned around and descended down the stairs of the entrance to the castle. The competitor walked across the courtyard and across the bridge that connected the castle to the town.

Throughout the entire time, Anna kept her gaze on the competitor, watching as her platinum-blonde hair bounced with every step she took. Anna stayed in her spot, watching until she wasn’t able to see Elena Snow any longer.

With the competitor out of sight, Anna looked back down at her hand, feeling the soft jolts of residual electricity at the spot where Elena’s lips had met the back of her hand. The Queen reminisced at how soft the competitor’s lips were, how soft and light the kiss was on the back of her hand that made Anna crave for more.

* * *

Elsa arrived at Oaken’s Inn, greeting Oaken, who only looked at her with a raised eyebrow and a small smirk. Elsa rolled her eyes, ignoring the man’s teasing as she walked towards the staircase and ascended the stairs to the third floor.

The competitor walked towards her unit, fishing out her key and inserting it into the keyhole. The Sigil jiggled her key in the keyhole, loosening the lock and enabling the blonde to open the door. Although, when she had opened the door, her breath was caught in her throat at the sight that was in front of her.

Standing with their back faced to her was a man that was slightly taller than her. His dark brown hair was ruffled and what covered most of his body was a long, black trench coat. A million questions ran through Elsa’s head, ranging from how this man got into her unit to what his exact motive was.

The man turned around, and Elsa knew that her assumption was right when she was met with Spymaster Kallum. His grey eyes drilled into the competitor who was currently staying in the unit that he was standing in. His white button up shirt and black slacks were still pristine, as if there was not a single sign that he came from training with his team. The dual daggers that he wielded on his belt, one on each side of his body, was sheathed in its small casing, the only thing that identified it as Spymaster Kallum’s weapons were the snowflake guards that decorated it.

Those grey eyes peered deeply into Elsa’s soul for the second time that night. No one said a word as Elsa still had her hand on the doorknob, the door to her unit still open and allowing anyone from the outside to hear. Although, because her room was at the end of the hall, no one would be able to peer into the room to see who had paid her a visit.

Spymaster Kallum shook his head and chuckled in amusement, seeing the competitor frozen in her state and understanding that she was currently thinking of scenarios and alternatives and solutions. So instead, Kallum decided to get right to the point. Kallum smirked at the girl.

“Close the door, kid. We need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) Hehe


	26. The Lover

Elsa stood stiff in her spot, hand still on the doorknob as the Spymaster looked at her. The man shook his head, walking towards the wall where her sword was leaning against. The Spymaster picked up the sword still in its stealth, inspecting it closely. He then proceeded to withdraw the sword, looking at it and evaluating it from the tip of the sword down to the pommel. 

The man shook his head with a small chuckle. His grey eyes then inspected the snowflake guard, nodding his head in approval. “I presume that you crafted this snowflake guard with the resources from whoever you’re working with?” His grey eyes looked up. “Close the damn door, kid.”

Elsa, finally snapping out of her shock, closed the door quickly and turned her attention back to her mentor. The Spymaster shook his head, placing the sword back down so that it leaned against the wall before he glided over to take a seat on the couch. “So you made some small changes to the sword I gifted you, didn’t you? Thinking that, with the proper changes, I wouldn’t be able to recognize you.” Spymaster Kallum took a seat on the couch. The man patted the empty seat next to himself, his grey eyes still looking at his long-lost apprentice.

“How… what…” Elsa started, still in a state of shock.

“I am _the_ Spymaster of Arendelle. The youngest person to be declared a Spymaster and the best Spymaster in the world. Plus, I trained you. Even though your fighting style has slightly altered and improved, you still do little bits of habits in the beginning of the fight that I know no one else does.” Elsa hesitantly walked over to the couch. Kallum gestured for his apprentice to take a seat, to which the Sigil nodded before slowly sitting on the couch.

“For example, at the beginning of each fight, when you get into your stance, you place your right foot just an inch ahead then your left and your middle and ring finger of your right hand twitches slightly, and in the most minute way, before you actually get into the proper stance - something which can only be noticeable if you look very carefully. This can also only be picked up if someone constantly looked at these habits you did during combat for a long time.”

“Furthermore, no commoner or soul would be brave enough to not bring a shield for a fight against Hercules, especially choosing throwing daggers when fighting the man. That’s basically asking for a death wish.” 

“Is there anything else that gave me away?” Elsa asked quietly.

Spymaster Kallum shrugged his shoulders, folding his hands behind his head and leaning back. His grey eyes looked ahead at the wall; his lips curved upward in a small smile. “Don’t worry. The dead giveaway was just the details of how you started in your stance, how you are a mercenary commoner in the Kingdom of Corona and the sword that I gave you.” The man gestured towards the sword. “I know that sword inside and out. I know when it has been altered, what features and why, and the effects it has when being altered. Besides that, you put up a good disguise, kid. Especially with the change in personality, making everyone believe that although you may look like Elsa Winters, you’re actually not. I would say that if it wasn’t for the fact that I know what your miniscule habits at the start of a fight is, as well as the properties of what would happen if you were to alter the gift I got you, then I wouldn’t have known who you were.”

“Your personality is more aloof and definitely emotionless, something which Elsa, although tried to put up a front in being emotionless, could never do and was easily read through. Your eyes have also changed to be a bit lighter in color, but I am presuming that is because you are the Ice Queen after all.”

At the mention of her true identity, Elsa felt her spine stiffen. Spymaster Kallum had read through her like a book, knowing exactly who she was both in her old life in Arendelle and her post life in Arendelle as a Sigil. Kallum, who sensed the tense aura that his apprentice radiated, shook his head again.

“Don’t worry, kid. People thinking you are the Ice Queen is way too absurd. People wouldn’t think that a legendary Sigil such as the Ice Queen would be in a useless sword-fighting competition. They would think that the Ice Queen would have better things to do - you are the Sigil’s most powerful individual after all. Although, is that where you have been kid? Running around playing Sigil for the entire world? The timeline aligns if you think about it… or somewhat at least. The Ice Queen, bearing the Sigil of Arendelle on the back of her cloak, didn’t make an appearance until four years ago, one year after you had gone missing.”

Elsa was speechless while Kallum droned on, spilling his knowledge of his apprentice.

“I’ve been searching for you for the past five years, kid. I tried to retain my memory of you to the best of my ability, writing down everything that I remembered and studying those notes in hopes that I could find you. Little did I know that you took precautionary measures to change yourself in order to not be caught by anyone, especially me. It makes sense though, and I take no offense, considering that you did it in order for people to not recognize you as the Sigil of Arendelle.”

“How has being a Sigil for the past five years treated you, kid?”

Elsa, trying to shake herself out of her shock, answered her mentor. “It’s been alright.”

Kallum hummed. “I’m sure it has, but I also know that being a Sigil, it seems that you lost some part of yourself along the way. When you were fighting with Hercules, I know you didn’t give it your all to keep up your act, but I also know that you lacked your usual passion.”

“As a Sigil, you can’t show emotions. Emotions, although will strengthen you, will also make you weak and expose your vulnerable spots to the enemy.”

Kallum scoffed, shaking his head. “Is it really? Or is it because the one person that kept that emotion around had to be given up on. Tell me kid, if I didn’t call you out right now on this, how long would you have kept this act up?”

Elsa sighed, her icy blue eyes looking at the ground. “Until the end, until the mission is over.”

Kallum turned his grey eyes from the wall to look at his apprentice, his eyebrow raised. “And once the mission is over, are you just going to leave Arendelle again? Without telling Anna or I?”

“I swore an oath as a Sigil, Kallum.”

“And you also promised a five-year-old girl that you would always be there for her.”

The mention of her promise to Anna made Elsa stiffen. Kallum shook his head, releasing a small sigh before he casted his grey eyes away from Elsa and back towards the wall.

“What’s your plan here, kid? Why would the Sigils assign their best person to win a competition at Arendelle? Is there a threat?”

Elsa looked away, her hands clenched into fists. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I was just told that my mission is to participate in this sword-fighting competition and win. Keep Queen Anna close, protect her at all costs, look for any suspicious activity and accept whatever the reward may be when winning the competition.”

Kallum chuckled, shaking his head. “Well, the first two would be easy for you. Have you spotted any suspicious activity?”

Elsa shook her head. “Not yet. I have eyes watching the other competitors.”

“Eyes as in your other Sigil friends or?...”

“Sort of. The other Sigil’s powers alongside with mines.”

Kallum nodded his head. The man released a sigh before he took out one of his smaller daggers and spun it around his hand. Even Kallum’s smaller daggers had a trace of a snowflake on it, whether if it was on the guard itself or on the handle. “I believe that you can win the competition. Although, are you ever planning on telling Anna?”

Elsa quickly answered that question, to her own surprise. “No one is supposed to know.”

Kallum scoffed. “Not even the love of your life?”

Elsa didn’t answer that question. Kallum sighed. The Spymaster leaned his body forward, placing his elbows on his knees as he continued to spin the dagger with his fingers. “Do you even know what would happen if you won the competition?”

“I would get the prize money.”

“Besides that.”

Elsa paused, her hand unclenching from the shape of a fist. She took a small breath. “Something to do with being a guard, I presume?”

Kallum shook his head. “It seems that the leader of the Sigils is rather omitting information from you or is too oblivious to the information. Speaking of which, I assume that the Wind Sigil is dead?”

The way that Kallum had asked that so nonchalantly sent a shiver down Elsa’s spine. Despite the fact that Elsa knew that she couldn’t ever hide any information from Kallum, the Spymaster could easily read her answers without needing to have her speak. Elsa knew that Kallum knew, but he at least deserved a verbal confirmation from a Sigil - the Wind Sigil was his friend after all.

“Yes, he is dead. When he stopped visiting you was when he had passed from fighting a war.”

Kallum nodded his head. “I figured.” He stopped spinning the dagger before placing it back into his pouch.

“What would happen if I won the competition? Besides the prize money.” Elsa asked, the question gnawing her thoughts. It was odd how Jack never told her what else winning the competition would pertain to but commanded that she would have to accept the prize no matter what it was.

“If you win the competition, you will be offered to be Queen Anna’s Protector. Additionally, this competition would also allow me to scope out someone to take my place as Spymaster.”

“Anna’s Protector? What about Kristoff?”

Spymaster Kallum laughed at the prospect. “You and I both know that he was never capable of being her Protector. It’s not entirely his fault. He just didn’t have the opportunity to have as vigorous training as you did, and he didn’t ask for it either.”

Elsa sighed, running a hand through her platinum blonde hair. The Spymaster looked at the girl, his grey eyes softening when he saw his apprentice’s usual habits. He was glad that the young girl still held some features of her old self, even if the Spymaster could tell that the past five years had definitely traumatized her in some way to change the way she perceived everything.

“At least I can stay in Arendelle instead of constantly traveling.” Kallum noted.

“Wouldn’t they be suspicious that you are staying?”

Kallum shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll just say that I want to scope out the competitors to see who I can appoint as the Spymaster of Arendelle. If that’s not believable, I’ll just say that I grabbed intel that there could be possible threats to Arendelle, but I think the former would work just fine as an excuse.”

“I’m glad you’re not on my team though. I would think that my teachings would be something that you have already learned. It’s good that you’re on Hercules’s team - you can learn a lot from that man. Plus, he has the most passion and emotion when it comes to fighting, and maybe that energy can radiate in order for you to do the same.”

Elsa rolled her eyes at the man. “We’ll see about that.”

Kallum only hummed in response. “So Ice Queen, have you used your powers to allow yourself to have an advantage in the competition yet?”

Elsa shook her head and released a small laugh in disbelief. “Do you really think I would stoop that low and cheat by using my powers? If I’m going to win a competition, I’m going to win it fair and square.”

Kallum’s lips curved upward in a small smile. “I like that spirit.” The Spymaster stood up, dusting his pants before turning towards his apprentice. “Your secret is safe with me, Elsa. I won’t tell anyone, including Anna, about all of this. I wish you the best of luck in phase two of the competition.”

Elsa raised an eyebrow, her blue eyes finally looking up to meet Kallum’s playful smirk and mischievous grey eyes. “Is it that bad?”

“If you continue on with the missions, then yes. Especially if Herc also appoints you as team captain.”

Elsa tilted her head to the side. “Team captain?”

Kallum chuckled. “You’ll find out soon, kid. Team Captains are going to have it the hardest. Besides that, I’ll see you around - maybe we could catch up and grab a beer. I’m glad you’re back, kid.”

Elsa stood up, seeing that Kallum’s body language showed that he wanted to leave. The apprentice walked towards the door, her mentor following until the younger opened the door. Kallum nodded his head. “Night kid.”

“Goodnight Kallum.”

* * *

Eric groaned, running a hand across his face as he sat at a table with Elena, the latter chewing on the lunch that was served to them. For being part of phase two, the Kingdom had thought it would be a wonderful idea to have lunch available to the competitors each day. Elsa’s blue eyes looked quizzically at her tired friend in front of her. 

“What’s wrong?”

Eric blew a breath. “Not only did we have a vigorous training last night, but we also had one this morning. _Early_ this morning - as in before the sun even rose and before the birds started chirping.”

“I’ve heard that Spymaster Kallum can be intense.” Elsa noted.

“He _is_ intense. That man made us his targets last night! Running around the woods as he would throw his stupid, wooden daggers at us while he was jumping from branch to branch. Those hurt like a bitch. I have a cut on my arm because of it.” Eric grumbled.

Elsa laughed, remembering her first training with Kallum in the woods. Eric glared at his friend’s amusement. “I felt like I was a prey at night. That was the one time I felt endangered at night.”

“You weren’t perceptive enough to pick up on his behavior and movements?” Elsa teased, knowing what Eric’s strengths were on the battlefield. The man was a strategist, similar to that of Kallum, and even though he lacked strength, he had patience, knowledge and stamina.

Eric grumbled again. “I tried, but it’s so dark and the foliage was so heavy, and it doesn’t help when the rest of my team members were literally screaming and running through the forest as if they were a stampede of elephants. I was able to pick up his movements after extracting myself from my team.”

Elsa laughed, shaking her head. “Have you ever thought of deflecting his attacks?”

Eric sighed. “I mean, a couple of people tried to in the beginning, but they suffered major cuts from those wooden pieces of shit.”

“Wow Eric, you seem very passionate and angry about this. I didn’t know you would cuss this much.” Elsa found amusement in the Silver Kitsunes’s trainings. Eric rolled his eyes, stabbing a piece of fruit and bringing it up to his lips, his upper arm trembling as he brought it up to his mouth.

“Hurt that much?” Elsa continued to tease. Eric rolled his eyes again, placing his arm down and wincing at the movement.

“You do one of his trainings and come back to me in one piece.”

Elsa laughed. She knew that if she went to Kallum’s trainings, she would be able to easily defeat any challenge thrown her way. Instead, for Eric’s sake, the blonde shrugged her shoulders.

“When is your training for today?” Eric asked, placing his cutlery down. It wasn’t worth the pain to eat.

“After lunch. Hercules thinks it's insane to have night trainings and early morning trainings, but I’m sure Kallum will convince him eventually. You have to be ready at any time of day, regardless of what state your body is in, whether if you just woke up or you’re fatigued from the day.

“Shut up, you literally sound like Spymaster Kallum.” Eric grumbled, flinching at how Elena had said basically what Kallum had said when his team complained about the times of their trainings.

Elsa waved the man off. Eric rolled his eyes before surveying the room. “They’re supposed to pick team captains by today. I don’t know who Spymaster Kallum is going to choose considering that we all did horribly from his trainings.”

Eric’s eyes landed on a table filled with the Southern Isles Princes. The ones that were on the same team on him had the same tired expression as Eric did, some rubbing their arms or their abdomen from Kallum’s assault. “Who do you think is going to be the team captain for your team?” Eric turned his attention back towards Elena, who also had her gaze on the Southern Isles Princes.

“Not sure.” Elsa replied, turning her gaze back to her friend. “Our first day of training was just a way to see how we would perform against each other - sort of like an entrance exam.”

“Huh.” Eric looked around the room. “Who do you think will be the Captain for the Copper Cerebuses?”

Elsa continued eating her food, people watching with Eric as well, but not for the same reason that he was doing so. “I’ve heard rumors that Prince Hans did well in the first day of training with Kristoff. He could be a prospect as a Team Captain.”

“The youngest Prince of the Southern Isles? Isn’t there the fourth, seventh and tenth Princes in line on that team as well?”

Elsa’s eyes landed on Prince Hans, who awkwardly chuckled at his brother’s joke. “Maybe he has some untapped or unnoticed talent that didn’t shine until now. He is the youngest after all, so maybe because he wasn’t given as much pressure or attention, he put everything in combat.”

“That would make sense. Or, Kristoff could have a soft spot for younger siblings who aren’t in the limelight and are somewhat seen as inferior. That’s another rumor I heard.” Eric mentioned.

“That’s reasonable.” Elsa answered, finishing up her lunch.

“Is your practice open for the public to watch?” Eric turned back towards his friend.

“I’m pretty sure it is. Queen Anna was there for our practice yesterday.”

The mention of the sovereign caused Eric’s lips to curve in a small smirk. The man wiggled his eyebrow at Elsa, who was midway through drinking her glass of water. The suggestive look made the Sigil choke on her water.

“I see that Queen Anna isn’t as subtle with her favorites. I’m just personally offended that she didn’t go and see my practice last night.” The man pouted. Elsa rolled her eyes, about to say something when Eric had interrupted her. “But also, she did have a dinner date after all.”

Elsa didn’t know what to say, her jaw dropped as Eric merely smirked at his friend before reaching over for his cup to take his own sip of water. “So, if I were to go to your training to watch, I guess I would be expecting to see Queen Anna there as well?”

“No, she’s busy. She doesn’t need to spend her time watching my training.”

Eric raised his eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?”

Elsa nodded her head. “Olaf is out roaming the forest, so there’s no need for her to be there if Olaf isn’t going to maul anyone.”

Eric scoffed. “Uh huh, sure Snow. I’ll let your obliviousness and denial slip this once.”

Elsa frowned as she watched the Southern Isles Princes stand to prepare for their training that was being held in the courtyard. The Sigil was about to stand to leave for her training when Spymaster Kallum quickly walked towards their direction. Elsa, confused as to why Kallum was walking with such purpose, sat in her seat for now.

“Elena, Eric.” Spymaster Kallum greeted when he stood in front of them. Elena nodded her head to greet the man while Eric spoke up.

“Good afternoon Spymaster Kallum.”

Kallum’s grey eyes looked between the two of them before he closed his eyes, shaking his head and laughing in amusement. “So it seems that you both are friends.”

Elsa simply shrugged her shoulders while Eric gave Kallum a cheeky grin. “Yep! Elena seems like one of the few competent people here.”

Kallum laughed at the younger man’s comment. “I believe that as well.” His grey eyes focused onto Eric. “Nonetheless, I hope that your friendship with Elena will not affect your performance as Team Captain.”

Eric’s eyes widened at Kallum’s proposition. “W-wait, m-me? T-team Captain?” the man squeaked. Kallum laughed at his trainee’s reaction and nodded his head.

“From what I’ve seen of the trainings, you seem to perform the best out of everyone. Your strengths, I believe, can be honed much more from what I specialize in. You also don’t have a cocky air to you, and I hope that your benevolent and supportive personality can help lead the Silver Kitsunes.”

Eric’s jaw dropped, blue eyes wide behind his mask. “T-thank you!”

Kallum shook his head, a small smirk upon his lips. “Don’t thank me yet. Being Team Captain will be much more of a challenge than being anything else. You have no choice to deny it as well. With that being said, Team Captains will have a meeting tonight over dinner. Please report to the castle by then so we can run all Team Captains through with expectations.”

Eric nodded his head vigorously. “Thank you, Spymaster Kallum.”

Kallum nodded his head. His grey eyes landed on Elena, who only raised her eyebrow at the man. The Spymaster gave a smirk towards his apprentice. “I expect Hercules to offer you the same, Elena.”

Before Elena could answer, Kallum turned on his heel and walked out of the ballroom that would be holding the daily luncheons for the rest of the competition. Elsa sighed, shaking her head. The competitor was about to stand once again to leave for her practice when she heard a voice behind her.

“Elena Snow, just the girl I was looking for.”

Hearing her leader’s voice, Elsa turned around in her seat. Hercules stood in front of her, still in his usual attire with his arms crossed and a small smile on his face.

“Good afternoon, Hercules.”

The Queen Consort nodded his head. “I’m sure you have heard about Team Captains for each of the three teams.”

Elsa only nodded her head in response.

“I propose that you will be Team Captain of the Golden Pegasus.”

Elsa tilted her head to the side in confusion. In their last training, it seemed that Hercules was trying to see where everyone’s skill level was at. Although, the man wasn’t attentive, especially if he was sparring against Elsa. With the little information that he had of the rest of the competitors, what made him think that Elena was the best fit to be Team Captain.

“I trust in Spymaster Kallum’s word about your performance.” Hercules seemed to have read her mind. “That man was watching our entire training, and he believes that your level exceeds far past anyone else’s on the team. I must also have to agree as well, considering that you beat me in one round. I would hope that you would be able to help raise team morale and also assist me in helping to improve your teammates.”

“Do I even have a choice?” Elena asked.

Hercules shook his head, a large grin on his face. “Nope!” The man then looked around the room, noting how the rest of his team had left the ballroom. “You have no choice. As team captain, come to the castle tonight for dinner so that you can meet other team captains and understand what you are expected. More will be explained later, but we should get going to our training.”

Elsa nodded her head, standing and looking towards Eric. “Is it okay if we have watchers?”

Hercules laughed. “It’s not like we can control it if we did, especially if we’re training in the courtyard.”

Eric hopped to his feet with a smile. “Great!” 

Hercules smiled at the younger man’s energy. “I like your spunk, Eric. I’m surprised you’re Kallum’s captain - you definitely aren’t as broody and dark as your leader.”

“Tell me about it, he has early morning or late night training that I can barely keep up with.” Eric complained, following Hercules and Elsa out of the ballroom and towards the courtyard of the castle.

“He is a cruel man.” Hercules laughed, shaking his head. The trio eventually arrived in the courtyard where the rest of the Golden Pegasus were mingling with one another or stretching. Elsa also noticed another pair of individuals elsewhere.

The blonde followed their gaze, her eyes landing on Queen Anna and Spymaster Kallum, sitting on a bench and chatting with one another. Elsa’s heart leapt at the sight of the younger girl laughing at something that her mentor had said. 

“The Queen is here to watch our trainings again. How interesting.” Hercules noted with a sly tone to his voice. Eric gasped, his eyes wide as he looked at Hercules with a relieved but surprised look.

“You see it too, right?!”

“Oh god.” It was Elsa’s turn to grumble. The girl was about to descend the stairs when Hercules had grabbed the back of her coat, stopping the girl from going any further.

“Got to introduce you as the team captain so you stay.” Hercules said. The man then turned to Eric with a smile. “And yes, I do see it. It’s as clear as day.” 

Eric nodded his head enthusiastically. “Finally! At one point, I would’ve thought that I was just being delusional.”

Elsa released a small huff, crossing her arms and waiting for Hercules to finish his conversation with her friend.

“You’re not.” Hercules laughed. “Anyways, I should get these Pegasuses started on their training. You can watch with Kallum and Queen Anna.”

Eric nodded his head, offering the man a bow before he patted Elsa on the back. “Don’t mess up, Captain.”

Elsa only rolled her eyes as both her and Hercules watched as Eric descended the stairs and made his way over to Anna and Kallum. The man sat to the right of Anna, sandwiching the girl in between himself and Kallum. Anna greeted the boy with a smile and turned her gaze to where he initially came from. Her eyes met with Elena’s, and as Elena gave the sovereign a small wave, Anna quickly looked away, a light tint of pink casted over her cheeks.

“Okay, enough flirting.” Hercules said. Elsa opened her mouth, about to rebuttal against her team leader when the man’s voice echoed within the courtyard. “Good afternoon my Pegasuses! I hope you had a great lunch, but now it’s time for training. Also, your team captain of the Golden Pegasuses will be Elena Snow.”

The announcement caused the entire courtyard to erupt with murmurs. Some people weren’t surprised that the younger girl was declared as the team captain, while others were jealous and envious.

“Now, now. As team captain, she is going to be partly responsible for leading the team in missions and going against other teams. She will help with regulating trainings, but will also be tasked to go up against me in each of our practices and skirmishes.”

At the sound of that, the majority of the Golden Pegasuses released a breath of relief, glad that they would never have to face Hercules in any skirmishes and grateful that they weren’t assigned to be a team captain. On the other hand, Kallum released an amused chuckle while Anna’s eyes widened in shock, the Queen’s fists clenching on her lap.

“Anyways, I feel that we shouldn’t be playing with little old wooden weapons. You guys are all adults and capable of using real weapons. We will do the same simulation as yesterday, but instead of striking your opponent since you will have real weapons, your objective is to put your opponent in a position that would compromise their life without hurting them. The real skill that every fighter must know is control, especially controlling your weapon to determine life or death for someone. When you enter the field, you may have to capture someone, and in order to do that, you have to make sure you put them in a position where their life isn’t taken, but it is merely a possibility which you can control. Their life being taken is prevented by your control on said weapon.”

Hercules tapped his chin. “You can cause scratches and wounds on your opponent, but doing so, just know that the consequences based on what I will evaluate later will definitely affect your chances of moving on to the next week.”

“Now!” Hercules clapped his hands. “For those who wanted the team captain position, you can only get it once Elena is kicked out of phase two. If I were to tell you that she is placed at a higher standard, I’m sure none of you guys would want the position once she is eliminated from the competition.”

The way that Hercules had said the statement so joyfully had caused fear to be inflicted upon most of the other Golden Pegasuses.

“In fact, for Elena’s standard in this training, you are only allowed to inflict a physical wound on me three times. If you were to do it more then that amount, then you will automatically be eliminated. Furthermore,” Hercules turned to Elena with a smile on his face. “I can inflict as much wounds on you, and the round is only over if you put me in a compromising position or if I put you in a compromising position.”

No one in the Golden Pegasuses dared to speak. Elsa, who still had her arms crossed, looked at the man with a blank stare but a raised eyebrow. Kallum, who was on the side, chuckled at the predicament. Queen Anna’s hands tightened even more, her fists turning white as she glared daggers at Hercules.

“Partner up with who you were partnered with yesterday! Best out of three, and make sure to pick your weapon of choice.”

Hercules proceeded to climb down the stairs. The man reached over to grab a sword and a wooden shield. Elsa followed behind the team leader, reaching over to grab only a couple of throwing daggers as she opted to use her own sword that was on her belt. Sounds of steel clashing against steel already echoed within the courtyard.

Hercules looked at the girl with a raised eyebrow at her lack of shield. “Really? Still no shield?” Hercules got into his stance, shield in one hand and sword in another.

Elena got in her own stance as well, withdrawing her sword and holding it up. The steel of the sword shined brightly in the sunlight; the snowflake guard was brighter from the rays of the afternoon sun.

“Nah, I think I’m good.”

“Very well.” Hercules smirked. “Come at me, Elena.”

Elena nodded her head, slowly and hesitantly approaching the man with her sword up. The younger girl knew that she couldn’t always wait for her opponent to strike… or well, she could, but if there was ever a situation where she was on a time crunch, she would have to know how to strike first as well. 

Finding an opening, Elsa slashed her sword forward. Hercules quickly reacted by blocking it with his shield and attacking Elsa from her side. The Sigil quickly reacted to that, twisting her sword so that metal clashed against metal before she disengaged by sliding backwards.

Hercules shook his head, catching that Elena would disengage, and to react, the man quickly stepped to position himself in a certain way before slashing his sword. Elena quickly slid again, feeling her feet wobble slightly at the quick and unexpected movement she had to do.

“Fast reaction times.” Hercules taunted. The leader of the Golden Pegasuses started his quick jabs and assault onto the captain. Elena dodged and parried each attack, her eyes never widening in shock nor her face ever flashing with fear. It was so blank… so impassive to the point where it concerned everyone watching. 

In the midst of her blocks and parries, Hercules suddenly shoved his sword against Elena. The competitor barely dodged the assault, but because of the bulkiness of the shield and Hercules forcing Elena a certain direction, his sword came down towards the Sigil. 

Elena, analyzing the situation, immediately acted by swiftly moving purposely towards the blade. A few gasps echoed within the air as everyone watched the captain of the Golden Pegasuses move towards the blade, the direction she was moving at possibly causing a fatal blow.

Elsa knew her speed and her potential. She knew that she had to take the hit, and so, she was able to move quickly enough to the left and down to have the sword create a gash on the upper part of her arm. Blood immediately soaked her long-sleeve and coat, but Elsa placed herself in the best position possible. Hercules’s left side was weak, and so, the tip of her sword was pointed about half an inch away from Hercules’s neck.

Hercules’s blue eyes widened from the side profile that Elsa was looking at him from. The man lowly chuckled, his blue eyes looking down to see Elena’s own blood dripping onto the courtyard ground from her wound.

“You have balls, Elena. Taking the risk of taking a hit that could’ve actually ended your life just to put me in this position. To truly take that risk requires you to understand your own potential and your enemy’s potential.”

Even with her cut, Elena never flinched from the pain. She was still void of all emotion as she withdrew her sword away from Hercules.

The Queen Consort of the Kingdom of Exodus stared at Elena’s wound. “No breaks, Elena.”

His statement earned a glare from the sovereign watching. The Queen was being held down by Spymaster Kallum, who had forced the Queen to stay seated by making sure that she couldn’t move.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Hercules! She’s going to bleed to death if she keeps going.” Anna growled from the side lines.

Hercules shrugged his shoulders. “You will never have time for a break to patch up your wound in an actual fight. You’ll always have enemies coming at you from all directions.”

Elena nodded her head before shrugging off her coat. The blood bled through her white long-sleeve that hugged her curves and muscles for the world to see. If Elena wasn’t bleeding to death, Anna knew that she would have blatantly stared and admired the girl’s physique. 

Instead, Elena cut the sleeve of her coat with her sword. She sheathed her sword before using the fabric to quickly wrap around her cut tightly, applying pressure to prevent her wound from bleeding any further.

Hercules nodded his head in approval, noting how the captain was still as quick in dressing her wound and creative to find a resource to help with her injury. Although, midway through Elena wrapping her wound, Hercules decided to surprise the captain by lunging his sword towards her. 

Elena, hearing his movements and predicting his spontaneity, swiftly slid to the left before kicking the man in the gut.

The kick would have sent anyone flying, but due to Hercules stature and his experience in fighting, with addition to his stance, he only stumbled backwards from the impact. 

With Hercules being placed off guard, Elena quickly tended to her wound, finally wrapping it tightly before turning towards Hercules. The competitor quickly withdrew her sword, holding it up with her right hand.

“Good.” Hercules said. The man immediately shot forward with his sword, and Elsa quickly slid backwards to dodge the attack. While she dodged the attack, her other hand reached into her pouch to grab the throwing daggers before throwing it at Hercules, who blocked the daggers with his shield. Although, his block allowed Elsa to slide back forward, angling her sword in a certain way that utilized the points that her dagger had hit the shield.

Since it was only a wooden shield, Elsa was able to break the shield in two with a single swing of her sword. Hercules reacted quickly by letting go of the shield, barely missing the graze of Elena’s sword as it split the shield in two. The man swung his sword towards Elena, who quickly withdrew a dagger to block the attack of the sword before she swung her own sword at Hercules.

Hercules, noticing the incoming sword, positioned his sword so that it blocked Elena’s. Although, in a blink of an eye, Elena was almost pressed against Hercules, her dagger that had parried his sword was now up to his neck. Hercules looked down at the girl, a small grin forming on his face while Elena’s blue eyes were still blank. 

“Nice job.”

Elsa took a step back and sheathed her dagger back into her belt. The Queen Consort of the Kingdom of Exodus nodded his head before holding his own sword up again.

Taking that as the third round starting, Elsa dug into her pocket to withdraw a few daggers and threw it immediately at Hercules. The man deflected each dagger with his sword before tumbling when he couldn’t dodge the remaining daggers. 

Elena, watching as the man tumbled to the ground, immediately took the opportunity of the man being in a vulnerable position. Her sword came down and Hercules’s sword came halfway to block it. Surprisingly, Elena’s sword was dominating over Hercules, the clear sign being that Hercules’s own sword was shaking against the tension of Elena’s. The leader smiled through the struggle and at the captain as Elsa felt something pierce into her right shoulder. 

The Sigil, who didn’t show a reflection of pain nor did she flinch, withdrew from her advantageous position against as she felt liquid trickle down her back. Looking down at the ground, Elena noted how Hercules must have used one of her throwing daggers to puncture her in the shoulder with his foot.

Hercules shot forward again, making sure that the Sigil didn’t have a chance to retaliate. Fortunately, the team leader of the Golden Pegasuses underestimated his trainee’s speed. Elsa swiftly slid to the left and immediately blocked Hercules’s sword that was following her movements with her dagger. The Sigil released a small breath, using as much of her energy to keep the sword in place and swiftly kicked Hercules. The man had saw the incoming attack, but wasn’t able to fully deflect it in time. Instead, Hercules positioned himself to mitigate as much of the damage and impact from the kick as possible.

The leader slid backwards a few feet, releasing a small breath at the astounding strength that Elena had from that kick. His sword clashed with Elena’s sword when the girl had lunged at him. Hercules’s eyes were wide with shock at how much energy and strength Elena still had in her even sustaining two wounds. In fact, their swords were neck to neck, and Hercules knew that one slip up could cost him the entire fight. 

Another thing Hercules didn’t expect was tiny daggers flying his way as he was deflecting Elena’s attack. Hercules had barely disengaged himself from Elena, but as a result, a couple of the daggers pierced into his right shoulder. Blood arose from impact and before Hercules could react again after the tiny daggers came his way, he felt a rush of wind. The leader looked down to see Elena’s sword pointing right at his neck, the girl who wielded the sword breathed heavily, her entire body heaving up and down as her lungs searched for any nib of oxygen.

Hercules smiled at the girl. “I guess I broke Phil’s rule #95: concentrate. I definitely underestimated you, Elena Snow.”

Elena withdrew her sword, nodding her head as she still felt the dampness of her right arm and back shoulder. Blood poured down her back from her wounds and before the Sigil could reply, she immediately heard footsteps behind her. Hercules’s eyes lifted up to see the incoming stranger while Elsa turned around to feel soft hands meet her shoulder and teal eyes looking up at her with concern laced within them.

“Are you okay? Oh gosh, you must have lost a lot of blood.” The Queen said worriedly, her eyes wide and nurturing as she inspected the wounds carefully. Her fingers reached forward to slightly graze around the wound, sending shivers down the competitor’s back.

“She’ll be fine, don’t worry. Nothing but a trip to the infirmary will fix things up.” Hercules smiled. “Besides, where is my concern? Her daggers literally pierced into my shoulder.” The man left the daggers implanted in his shoulder, deciding to have the nurse tend to them since he didn’t want to take out the daggers himself.

“I’m gonna kill you, Hercules.” Anna growled. The man only laughed nervously, his blue eyes looking anywhere else before it landed on another approaching figure.

“At this rate, your team will fail your mission if the leader and captain both get injured.” Kallum’s amused voice made its presence.

Hercules rolled his eyes. “We will succeed, don’t worry. Come on Elena, let’s both get to the nurse.” Hercules turned towards Kallum. “Please take care of my team. Just make sure that they finish their spar and let me know if anyone has three injuries, big or small, it doesn’t matter.”

Kallum raised his eyebrow, his grey eyes looking at the bulky man in amusement. “You want me to take care of a team that isn’t mine”?

“Well,” Hercules gestured towards his punctured shoulder. “Got to get this checked up.”

“Very well.” Kallum sighed, waving off the Golden Pegasus leader. “You and Elena best get to the infirmary.”

Hercules nodded his head, his blue eyes drifting back to his team leader. “Let’s go.”

“I’ll come along.” Anna chimed in. “Here, let me help you.” her soft voice whispered to Elena as the Queen stood by the competitor’s left side that didn’t hold her wounds. Anna carefully wrapped her arm around Elena’s waist, placing her hand above Elena’s right hip. “Lean onto me with your left side.”

Elena nodded her head as she followed Anna’s instructions. However, she didn’t want to put too much weight on the girl but enough to help her walk to the infirmary easily. 

“If people don’t know you picked a favorite before, they do now.” Elena said smugly. Anna rolled her own teal eyes as she started to guide the older girl into the castle, acting as her support throughout the entire way.

Hercules scoffed as he trailed behind the couple. “How did I end up third wheeling.”

“Shut it, Herc.” Anna snapped back, clearly hearing his comment.

“Just saying, jeez.” Hercules mumbled, gripping his shoulder as he followed the Queen and the competitor along. Throughout the entire time, Hercules could barely hear the small jokes that Elena was cracking, trying to shed light onto the situation. Anna, who was guiding the competitor along, couldn’t help but giggle at some of the jokes before she would shake her head and say that it wasn’t the best time to joke about things.

The trio eventually arrived at the infirmary, where nurses were moving about tending the room that was fuller than usual. There seemed to have been a lot of injured knights lounging on the beds. One of the nurses noticed the trio and quickly walked up to them, eyeing their wounds with concern and curiosity. 

“Good afternoon Your Majesty, Hercules, Miss Snow.” The nurse greeted. “Let me get you both to a bed as soon as possible.” Her eyes shifted between Hercules and Elena. “I apologize, but it seems that you came at a busy time. Half of these injured folks came from Sir Kristoff’s team training while the rest were knights that recently came back from an expedition where they were ambushed. I can send someone to get to your wounds as soon as possible, but please, follow me.” The nurse led the three to the far end of the room where the remaining two, vacant beds were left.

“Let me grab a nurse to tend to you.” The young woman said, taking a bow before quickly rushing to find someone. Although, before she could, the head nurse walked towards them with a small smile on her face. Her hair was grey and her eyes an emerald green, but she didn’t look as old - maybe around the age of Gerda. The Head Nurse wore a white shirt and long, white pants, her pale skin barely contrasted against her clothing.

“Your Majesty, I’m sorry for the inconvenience. It seems that the infirmary is busier than usual.” The elderly woman apologized.

“That’s no problem at all Miss Mendo.”

The elderly nurse smiled at the sovereign with a motherly smile, having been with the castle ever since Anna was a young girl. “I can help tend to one of their wounds, but due to our short staff and high demand, would you mind tending to the other?”

Anna’s face flushed red as she felt Elena’s inquisitory, blue eyes look her way. “Miss Mendo, it’s been years since I’ve helped tend to anyone.”

The elderly nurse laughed. “I’m sure you still have it. I’ll look over your work once you’re done, but you were always a natural at taking care of people, Your Majesty. I remember how you would get up early in the morning a little over five years ago to learn. Your curiosity grew, especially after the whole incident back then.”

“Miss Mendo…” Anna said shyly.

The elderly woman chuckled. “In fact, I remember when you first showed interest! It was after Elsa had come back from her first mission with Spymaster Kallum. She was severely injured, and I knew that you always wanted to learn how to properly take care of her yourself.”

Anna’s face began to flush further as she felt two pairs of blue eyes look at her inquisitively. She could see Hercules looking at her with a smug smirk while, through her peripheral, she could see Elena tilt her head slightly in curiosity.

“Typical, smooth Anna.”

“Shut up, Herc.”

“Learning how to tend to the worse of wounds just to impress a girl? There was a reason why I always liked you.” Hercules said smugly. 

Anna sighed and shook her head with a small frown on her face. The sovereign turned towards Elena, who was still looking at her with that adorable, cute expression. Those curious eyes and slight head tilt that made Anna want to cradle the girl’s cheeks in her hands.

“Why don’t you tend to the young girl while I tend to King Hercules? Knowing you, you may intentionally do more harm to him.” Miss Mendo laughed before leading Hercules towards another part of the room.

Anna shyly looked at the ground, her cheeks flushed as she was embarrassed to look back at Elena after the entire conversation. Surprisingly, Elena was the first to speak. 

“So doc, what would you want me to do?”

Anna looked up to see Elena had sat herself on the bed, her blue eyes looking at Anna without a smidge of curiosity. Instead, a warmth spread from those eyes that Anna knew only she can see - that only she can understand.

The Queen smiled softly at the competitor. “Stay here and let me grab some supplies for you.” The redheaded girl turned and quickly dashed across the room to grab the necessary medical supplies. Elsa’s blue eyes followed Anna’s retreating figure, seeing the girl dash on the opposite side of the room to grab some bandages, antiseptic, cloths and more.

The sovereign rushed back with an armful full of items. The younger girl unloaded the stuff onto the table and grabbed a bottle of antiseptic in one hand and a cloth in another. She turned to ≥see Elena looking at her with a blank stare, her blue eyes focused on the bottle of antiseptic.

“Uhmm…” Anna started. She needed the older girl to take off her shirt for purposes of tending to her wounds, but how would she ask without leaving the wrong impression and seeming too forward?

“Ah, right.” Elena answered, as if she exactly knew that Anna was going to say. The Queen’s teal eyes widened as she saw Elena swiftly remove her white, blood-stained long sleeve. Anna held her breath as she saw the outline of Elena’s abs and how her body was still so curvaceous. The Queen also noticed the multitudinous number of scars across her body, from her abdomen to her chest to all of the scars across her arms.

The sight of the scars made Anna wonder what the older girl had exactly gone through - where each of those scars came from and what the story was behind them. Anna wanted to run her fingers across each of those scars, gingerly feeling the rough skin of those scars. She wanted to know more of not only the scars, but of the owner of those scars. Her large breasts were held back by a white-lace bra that made Anna’s mouth water. God, how Anna wanted to -

“Anna?” The older girl’s voice snapped the Queen out of her trance. Her cheeks flushed again with a light pink as Anna quickly opened the bottle of antiseptic.

“Sorry, sorry, I-...” 

“It’s fine, don’t worry.” Elena said smugly. The competitor’s cockiness made the Queen’s teal eyes harden as it snapped back towards the smirking competitor.

“This is going to hurt.” Anna said, pouring some of the liquid onto the cloth.

Elena nodded her head. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

Anna gave the competitor a tight smile before she started to tend towards her wounds. The redhead decided to tend to Elena’s wounds on her back first. To the sovereign’s surprise, the competitor didn’t flinch one bit from the antiseptic coming into contact with her open wound. When Anna had shifted to face Elena, she took note of the classic impassiveness that decorated across her face. In fact, Elena’s facial expressions never changed, the impassiveness still there but those blue eyes staring at Anna as she continued to clean her wounds. 

As Anna cleaned Elsa’s wounds, the Sigil was used to the pain from receiving and cleaning wounds. Even though there was Rapunzel to heal their wounds, it was important, as a Sigil, to be able to know how to clean wounds as well as experience any sort of pain possible. The more pain that was felt, the stronger the Sigil would be, accustomed to different types of pain that they would receive in the past. Furthermore, Rapunzel may not always be there during missions to heal them, especially if they ran out of tears that Rapunzel would always store in vials for them.

What Elsa wasn’t used to was those soft, dainty and meticulous fingers grazing just slightly around her skin. She wasn’t used to the feeling of those sparks from contact. Yeah, she knew what it felt to be shot with lightning and electricity, literally, but this was a different type of electricity. Also, the way that Anna was tending to her wounds was that of the utmost care and consideration. The Queen was much more gentler than most people, and yet still effective in the process of it. From Elsa’s experience with multiple nurses throughout her time as a Sigil, she would say that Anna was the best at it. Throughout the entire time, Elsa couldn’t help but admire the younger girl that stood in front of her.

_She’s gone so far._

The Queen proceeded to wrap and cover the wounds with bandages. As the bandage wrapped around Elsa’s shoulder, the Sigil couldn’t help but feel her heart leap out of her chest when she would feel Anna’s touch against her bare skin.

“All done.” Anna breathed. Teal eyes looked from her work to the blue ones that were gazing at her the entire time. Elsa never broke her gaze from Anna when their eyes came into contact. Anna, feeling the intensity, shied away and looked down at the ground with a small blush.

“Thank you, Anna.” Elsa expressed, slipping her white long-sleeve back on. The Queen nodded her head.

“It’s not a problem at all.”

“You’re really good at this.”

Anna huffed, her cheeks puffing out while she turned her face towards Miss Mendo, who was still working on Hercules’s wound. “It’s nothing, really… You probably think of me as shallow and desperate for learning something like that just for Elsa.”

“No.” The answer made Anna swiftly turn her head to gaze at Elena, who was looking at her with soft blue eyes and a small smile. That look itself, different from Elena’s other two looks, made Anna’s stomach turn in nervous excitement and happiness. “I think it makes you caring and compassionate. I think it makes you a protective, big-hearted and deep lover. I think it makes you human.”

Anna felt her heart beat wildly against her chest. “What do you mean by that?”

“Being able to love someone. To do anything and everything you can for the person you love in order to make sure that they’re happy and healthy. The lengths you went through to care for someone you love. The power to love someone makes you human.”

“I think all of us are human then.” Anna whispered softly.

Elena’s blue eyes saddened slightly, but the older girl still kept her small smile towards the Queen. “Possibly.”

Anna understood the hesitancy behind Elena’s answer. She understood exactly why she sounded doubtful, why her answer was doubtful. “You are human, Elena. Although you may not believe that you can ever love someone, you have the power to.”

“We’ll see.” Elena replied, standing up from sitting on the bed. “I know you did a splendid job. Please tell Miss Mendo that I must go.” Elena took a few steps until she passed the Queen but was still in earshot of the younger girl. The competitor took a pause. “Thank you for taking care of me, Your Majesty.” With that, Elena walked towards the door of the infirmary.

Anna quickly turned, watching the taller girl walk away, her platinum blonde hair flowing down her back. As Anna watched Elena walk away, the Queen couldn’t help but wonder more about Elena - from her impassive facial expression when fighting Hercules to her resistance in the sting of the antiseptic, from those soft eyes to the scars that decorated her entire body.

_Who is Elena Snow?_


	27. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your support!!! I always read each comment and it always brings a smile on my face knowing that you're still here and enjoying the story! Happy Holidays!

_“Whatcha doing?” a young, five-year-old Anna asked a seven-year-old Elsa who was sitting on a bench. The Protector, decked in her light-blue long sleeve and black tights, looked down at the small Princess who was looking up at her with innocent, curious teal eyes._

_“Just sitting in the courtyard.” Elsa responded._

_“Why are you sitting here?” Anna asked, her face scrunching up as she looked around to notice that there was nothing fun going on in the courtyard. There weren’t any visitors, there weren’t any fairs or vendors - the courtyard was just filled with guards clashing their swords against each other as they practiced._

_“Father thought it was best for me to watch the guards practice. He wants me to tell him how they fight and what they do right and wrong based on what I see.”_

_Anna turned around, gazing at the guards who were clashing their wooden swords against one another. One guard was clearly stronger than the other, the clear sign being that when their swords clashed, one of the guards had trouble keeping up the tension with the other._

_Anna turned around to see Elsa’s gaze solely focused on the fight. The Princess frowned as she patted Elsa’s knee. The Protector looked down at the girl once more, her eyes glazed with confusion as her head tilted to the side in curiosity._

_“Play with me.” Anna requested._

_Elsa smiled sadly at the girl. “I’m sorry, Anna, but I have to watch them practice. Father thinks that this will be a good learning experience for me. He also wants me to join in their practices tomorrow, and so, seeing how they practice would be good for me.”_

_Anna’s eyes widened in shock; her jaw dropped. “You’re going to practice with them?”_

_“Yep! Tomorrow.” Elsa kept her gaze at the small girl._

_“With the adults?” Anna reiterated._

_“I guess you can say that.” Elsa giggled._

_Anna turned around again to look at the guards. She realized that their fight had ended after the weaker guard had fallen to the ground, their wooden sword tossed astray. Anna shifted her attention back to the Protector, and instead of Elsa’s blue eyes looking curiously at the guards, her gaze was still kept at the Princess._

_“Well, do you mind if I watch with you if we can’t play?”_

_It was Elsa’s turn to frown, but not for the wrong reasons. “Why would you want to watch? You can always play in the castle and I can join you once this is done.”_

_Anna shook her head. “Because if you’re going to be stuck with me, I want to make sure that these big bullies don’t hurt you! Besides, I would rather spend time with you doing this than playing by myself.”_

_Elsa raised her eyebrow at the Princess. “Are you sure your dad won’t get mad?”_

_Anna shook her head as she attempted to hop on the bench. Although, the girl was still so small that she was struggling to hop on. Elsa, noticing the young Princess struggle, helped her up by offering her hand. Anna gladly accepted it as Elsa pulled the younger girl up with all her strength that she had built up over the years of training._

_“Thank you!” Anna beamed brightly, settling herself next to Elsa._

_“No problem.” Elsa smiled, turning her attention back towards the courtyard. Not even three seconds had passed before the Protector had felt a head rest against her shoulder._

_“I know you will be as good as them or even better, Elsa! You’re amazing like that.”_

_Elsa nodded her head, keeping her gaze at the guards as she felt the Princess’s breath slowly shallow out on her neck._

* * *

Elsa sat on one of the benches in the courtyard of the castle without Olaf by her side. The sun was starting to set, light barely filtering through as the color was a dark orange. The Sigil had changed out of her bloody clothes and into another white long sleeve and light blue tights that were basically identical to what she wore. All her outfits were the same, but unfortunately, she didn’t have a back-up coat to wear.

She sat, waiting for the other team leaders and team captains to arrive at the courtyard. She was supposed to be here for a dinner, introducing herself to the other team leaders and captains with the Queen in their presence. Elsa frowned, thinking back to what had gone down hours earlier in the infirmary as she tapped her fingers against the concrete of the bench that she currently resided on.

“Are you going to sit next to me while we wait, or are you just going to be lurking in the shadows?” Elsa spoke up, her blue eyes focused onto the castle doors, waiting for them to open up as if there would be a leader or captain that would walk through the doors.

A low chuckle was heard followed by soft steps. A man with brown hair and grey eyes sat next to Elsa, his attire - the white button-up shirt and black slacks - looking as pristine as ever.

“If you insist.”

“You just look creepy lurking.” Elsa noted.

Kallum rolled his eyes as he took out a throwing dagger and spun it around his finger. “You weren’t even looking at me.”

“I can feel your eyes and your presence.”

Kallum shook his head with a laugh. “I’m the one that helped hone that for you.”

Elsa placed her elbows on her thighs, using it in order to open her palm, lean forward and rest her chin on top of her hands. “I would admit that it was important for you to teach me fundamentals.”

“And at least you have some sense in you to be punctual.” Kallum grumbled. “You and your team leader are two opposites.”

“I could say the same about you and Eric.” Elsa pointed out. “Besides, it’s not like they’re late. We’re just early.”

Kallum sighed, blowing a breath as the sun continued to set. “Just because I’m not your team leader doesn’t mean that I will go easy on you. I know that you are way more capable, and Hercules is a fool for thinking that he can take you on.”

“To his defense, he doesn’t know who I am or what I do. To everyone else, I’m just a commoner with luck and a bit of skill on the sword.”

Kallum scoffed. “From what I heard after your first round against Gaston, I’m surprised that people aren’t fearful of you. Also, no one should ever judge a book by its cover.”

“Nonetheless, you know how these nobles think and work. They think that they are all that, and that your status means everything to you. They think that because they are born in high class that they are skilled and anyone else is inferior to them.”

“Well, they should get off their high horse. Besides, if the past occurrences weren’t a sign, then after today’s events, I’m sure everyone knows that the Queen has displayed more interest on certain competitors.” Kallum chuckled.

Elsa’s eyebrows knitted upward in confusion. “What has been said so far that you have heard?”

“Romantic Sparks Fly: Queen Anna shows an interest in the captain of the Golden Pegasuses.” Kallum stated matter-of-factly.

“Not surprised there.” Elsa mumbled, squinting as she saw a couple of familiar figures approaching them, walking down the bridge that connected the town to the castle.

“You should have been on my team.” Kallum grumbled, knowing exactly who was walking down the bridge. Their voices were so distinct, loud, familiar and all too happy.

“They truly are so similar.” Elsa said amusingly, watching as Eric’s and Hercules’s form was more distinct the closer they arrived towards the castle. Eric and Hercules laughed jubilantly at a joke that they both probably thought was the most hilarious thing in the universe.

The captain of the Silver Kitsunes and the leader of the Golden Pegasus eventually arrived at the courtyard. Both of their blue eyes scanned the courtyard until it simultaneously landed on Elsa and Kallum. As if they were in sync, both of their eyes shined joyfully before the two jogged towards the latter.

“Truly a reflection of one another.” Kallum grunted, his silver eyes turning towards the approaching newcomers. Eric smiled brightly at his friend before turning to his leader with a calmer nod, as if he was trying to play his cool. Meanwhile, Hercules’s smile was consistent among his captain and Spymaster Kallum.

“Good evening Elena, Spymaster Kallum.” Eric greeted with a bow of his head.

“What’s up, Elena! Kallum!” Hercules laughed, walking towards his captain before slamming his large hand against her back. Elsa coughed, not expecting the man to use his brutal strength to pat her on the back, especially since she was leaning forward.

“You will truly break her.” Kallum said, his amused, grey eyes looking between Hercules and Elsa.

“Nah, she’s strong enough to handle everything, aren’t you, Elena?” Hercules said brightly, turning towards his trainee. Elsa only nodded her head in response as she faintly heard steps from the castle doors. Her blue eyes shifted towards the front doors and watched as they swung open, revealing the girl that always had the capability to take her breath away.

“Elena? You there?” Hercules said, looking down at his captain. His captain was still frozen in her state, and so, Hercules followed the girl’s gaze until he realized that the Queen was standing at the castle doors and was wearing the green dress, one of the two attires that the Queen would typically wear. Although, the younger girl wore a black trench coat that mimicked that of Kallum’s. Her teal eyes were locked onto Elena’s; the two were gazing at each other as if they were the only two people in the world.

“I see.” Hercules laughed as he bowed from his position. “Good evening, Your Majesty.” Hercules made sure to bellow his voice, causing the two girls to snap out of their stare down. Anna quickly averted her eyes away from Elena and towards Hercules, who was giving her one of his irritating smirks.

Anna rolled her teal eyes. “Good evening, Hercules.”

“Where’s Kristoff and his pawn?” Hercules asked. His blue eyes turned from the Queen down to his team captain, who was looking up at him with confusion etched across her face. Hercules tilted his head towards the Queen’s direction before he started walking.

Elsa, understanding the command, rose to her feet and followed her team leader. Kallum and Eric followed a few feet behind Elsa as the four approached the Queen.

“They’re already inside. They had to check on their team before the dinner, as half of his team had reported to the infirmary.”

“What the hell is that man doing to his team?” Hercules asked in bewilderment. Anna shrugged her shoulders and her teal eyes seemed to magnetically drift back to Elena. A small frown sported her face when she realized that Elena wasn’t wearing her blue coat, most likely because it was far beyond gone from repair after her practice with Hercules.

Anna turned her gaze back towards Hercules, who only crossed his arms and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Why don’t you ask him? Him and Prince Hans are waiting in the dining hall for us.”

“Ah, so he did choose the youngest Prince of the Southern Isles as his team captain. Why am I not surprised?” Kallum chuckled.

Anna shook her head. “Let’s get to the dining hall so we may start this meeting, shall we?”

Hercules nodded his head, stretching his arm which didn’t have a bandage wrapped around his shoulder. “Lead the way.”

Anna only nodded her head before taking the lead to guide the four towards the dining hall. Although, all three of them except for Eric had known how to get to the dining hall from the front gates of the castle. Eventually, they arrived at grand, double doors which were already ajar.

The four walked in to notice that Kristoff was sitting to the right of the head of the table with Hans to his right. The two looked over towards the doors to note the remainder of the party had just arrived. Kristoff and Prince Hans stood quickly before bowing at the Queen. Anna, who only rolled her eyes, strode her way over to sit across from Kristoff which was also to the left of the seat that was at the head of the table. Elsa, going through thoughtless motions, followed the Queen and sat next to her and across from Hans.

The Sigil noticed that her younger brother’s eyes narrowed at her as she took a seat next to the Queen. Anna’s eyes widened and her mouth was agape, as if she was about to say something but didn’t have any words come out. Meanwhile, Eric, who immediately picked up the tension in the room, was confused in the shift of the environment before following his team leader, who was chuckling at the sight before him as he took a seat to the right of Prince Hans.

Hercules, who gave more of a jubilant laugh, followed his team captain and sat next to her. Eric was the last to be seated, sitting to the right of Spymaster Kallum.

Anna closed her mouth and cleared her throat before her eyes scanned towards all six of the people that were currently sitting with her. All eyes turned to her, but to Anna, the only ones that really made her nervous were the ones that were directly to her left. Workers of the castle started to flood into the dining hall, bringing in the appetizer of the night to kick it off. Cups were set up and wine was instantly poured into each respective cup.

Once the first course was served and the workers had exited out of the dining hall, Anna spoke. “Welcome team leaders and captains and thank you for taking the time to come to this dinner. As the Queen of Arendelle, I am glad to be able to meet each and every one of you. Besides getting to know each of you and allowing you all the opportunity to get to know each other, the main reason behind this dinner is to highlight what is to come in round two.”

Eric was the first to dig into the appetizer - four different types of meatballs that was each paired with a different colored sauce which was smeared onto the plate, the unique meatball sitting on top of the dollop where the sauce had ended.

“If neither of you know by now: The leader of the Copper Cerubuses is Kristoff.” Kristoff bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement. “The leader of the Silver Kitsunes is Spymaster Kallum.” Kallum made no gesture, but merely made eye contact with each and every person that currently sat at the table. Elsa watched as Prince Hans slightly shivered when his eyes came into contact with Kallum’s striking grey ones. “And the leader of the Golden Pegasuses is Queen Consort of Exodus, Hercules.” Elsa’s team leader brought his hand up and waved at everyone in acknowledgement.

“And now, let’s have the team captains introduce themselves. Who would like to start first?” Anna asked, her eyes looking between Prince Hans, Eric and Elena.

Prince Hans was the first to step up, standing from his seat and offering everyone a charming smile that Elsa was sure would make girls swoon. “Good evening, everyone. It’s a pleasure and an honor to be in your presence. My name is Hans and I am the Prince of the Southern Isles as well as the team captain for the Copper Cerubuses. The reason why I’m here is…” Prince Han’s green eyes came into contact with Queen Anna’s. His smile widened. “Because as last in line, I want to try and do something that isn’t reliant on my family. I want to be important in some way.” Prince Hans finished with a bow, breaking his eye contact with the Queen before taking a seat.

Anna, on the other hand, seemed to have wide eyes blinking in astonishment. Elsa knew that the pair had history before, especially considering that he was the one that Anna had interacted with the most out of the thirteen Southern Isles Princes. 

_Also, that whole thing with King Harry of the Southern Isles trying to have Prince Hans basically court Anna while she was a Princess._

Elsa kept a mental note to keep an eye on Prince Hans. For the safety of Anna and mission purposes, right?

“Alright, I’ll go next!” Eric cheered, hopping onto his feet as his eyes swept across everyone in the room. “Hello! My name is Eric and I am from a small town off the Kingdom of Atlantis. I am the captain of the Silver Kitsunes and the reason why I’m here is to win the prize money to help support my partner and I. Although, even if I am going for the gold, literally and figuratively,” Elsa rolled her eyes at the man’s comment and cheeky smile. “I look forward to getting to know everyone and learning from them.”

Eric took a seat and all eyes seemed to have shifted from the cheery brunette to the mysterious blonde. Elsa sighed, standing up as eyes continued to follow her. “Hi, my name is Elena and I am the captain of the Golden Pegasuses. I live off of the coast of the Kingdom of Corona with a group of friends, and the reason why I’m here is to win the prize money to help all of us live comfortably.”

Elena sat down, picking up from her peripheral vision as Kallum raised his eyebrow in amusement while Anna was staring at her. Although, Elsa was oblivious as usual and did not notice that Anna was staring at Elena in awe and admiration. Meanwhile, Prince Hans’s green eyes darted between Anna and Elena, and the Sigil had picked up on how his hand seemed to tighten around his cutlery.

“Thank you all for introducing yourselves.” Anna smiled. The workers came in once again to switch out the appetizer for the main entree. Meanwhile, Elsa knew that Hans was staring directly at her, trying to study her. Elsa, acting oblivious to Hans’s gaze, kept her eyes anywhere but at Prince Hans.

“We shall proceed to the expectations of team captains and team leaders, as well as how the remainder of this week will look. You three have been picked by the team leaders - the people which I trust the most in the entire universe. You are lucky to be here as these talented leaders have seen potential in all of you. Although, as mentioned multiple times, there is a cost to being a team captain. You will be set at higher expectations, will be in charge and liable for your team, their growth and their performance throughout round two and will be responsible to come to these meetings. You will have to collaborate with your leaders and be their assistant in round two, as well as meet weekly with me and the rest of the leaders/captains for updates.”

All the captains nodded their heads in understanding. Kristoff, Kallum and Hercules continued to dine on their food, their eyes watchful of each captain’s body language throughout the entire dinner. “As team captain, because you have much more potential than the rest of the competitors, you will also be placed in a higher standard compared to the rest. This means that if you don’t succeed and meet the higher expectations, you will be eliminated from the competition.”

For a second, Elsa caught a flash of concern cross Prince Hans’s face before he wiped it away with a smile.

_He must have a lot of pressure on him to win this competition._

“We continue with your team trainings this week and will then do missions. It is short notice, but it will help give the leaders an understanding of where their team stands. Each team, for this week only, will take turns on going through these missions. On the day when two teams are not on a mission, they will go against each other in a tournament. The missions for this week will only take a day, and so, once a team comes back from their mission, the second team will go out to their mission and the team which had come back will go against the team that hasn’t left yet.”

“Basically, there will be three days this week where your team will rather go against another team or will be on a mission. There will be no rest days when this occurs.” Anna’s teal eyes studied the three competitors. “Any questions?”

A brief silence followed, but no one had asked a question. Anna continued on. “The missions that you will be going on will be actual missions which we had picked from the board. They will all be escort missions to different towns from Arendelle that will be of equal distance. No one will know who you will be escorting, or for what purpose, except your team leaders. You will not know until the day of, but your main priority should be to help your team leader strategize for the mission.”

“So, what will the schedule be like this week, Your Majesty?” Prince Hans asked, his eyes had shifted away from Elena and back to Anna in a softer manner.

“The Copper Cerebuses will be the first to leave for their mission in about two days. On that day, the Silver Kitsunes and the Golden Pegasuses will go against each other. The following day, the Silver Kitsunes will leave on their mission, leaving the Copper Cerebuses and the Golden Pegasuses to go head-to-head. Finally, the Golden Pegasuses will leave for their mission on the third day while the Copper Cerebuses and the Silver Kitsunes will go against each other. “ 

“How will we know once round two of this is over?” Eric asked, chewing his food while speaking.

Queen Anna giggled at his behavior while Kallum shot him a glare, mumbling for him to have some table manners. “Once there is a certain number of individuals left in total. Also note that if your team performs badly, that will also be considered in whether or not you get eliminated from this competition.” When Anna had finished her sentence, her eyes purposely looked to her left towards Elena and Hercules. Elena, with her empty eyes, only shrugged her shoulders while Hercules chuckled nervously and scratched his cheek.

“We will be fine when the tournaments and missions come around.” Hercules tried to state confidently. This only earned another eye roll from Anna. 

“Sure it will, seeing how you two suffered wounds now.” Anna grumbled. Her eyes then turned towards Kristoff, who was finishing off his fish. “Speaking of which, why was half of your team in the infirmary today, Kristoff?”

All eyes were set on the Captain of the Royal Guard, who looked down nervously and chuckled. “Well, their training for today was to scale up the North Mountain and back down.”

It was Kallum’s turn to roll his grey eyes. “Isn’t there a blizzard going on right now in the North Mountain?”

“Well… you have to learn how to travel and fight through any terrain and environment.” Kristoff tried to justify. “Besides, if they couldn’t handle it, they would be sent back down to rest anyways. Some made it up, this one included.” Kristoff pointed towards Prince Hans, who bashfully looked down.

Elsa raised her eyebrow at the Prince’s actions, clearly picking it up as an act of modesty and attention.

“Oh, it was nothing. Sir Kristoff is right when he says that you must be capable of traveling through any terrain and weather.”

“But he was the first to make it up and back down.” Kristoff declared with a triumphant smile, as if he was gloating about how he had a prized trophy in his hands.

“I could’ve bled to death because most of the infirmary was filled with your men, Kristoff!” Hercules quickly rebuttal.

Anna rolled her eyes at Hercules’s complaint. “Hercules, you didn’t suffer as much wounds as Elena. _Elena_ could have bled to death, especially because you forced her to keep fighting after that wound you placed on her shoulder.” Anna growled.

This earned another nervous laugh from Hercules and an amused chuckle from Kallum.

“What can I say? I had to test out my team captain and her potential, that’s all.” Hercules tried to argue.

Anna scoffed before she turned her attention back towards the other team leaders and captains. “Anyways, this meeting was just to answer any questions you may have, outline what is to come of this week, your responsibilities and to get to know the other team leaders and captains. Please enjoy your meal and let your team leader or I know if you have any questions or concerns.”

With that, the rest of the boys nodded while Elsa’s blue eyes studied Prince Hans specifically. Conversation erupted. Kallum, Hercules and Eric engaged in one conversation. Elsa could tell that Prince Hans was taking nervous glances at the Queen and was about to initiate a conversation when his own team leader had pulled him into a conversation. 

Elsa felt a soft, warm hand touch her upper arm. The Sigil turned towards the source, her heart beating wildly against her chest as Anna had looked at her with concerned, teal eyes.

“Are you feeling better, Elena?’ 

Elsa was about to reply when her voice was caught in her throat as Anna started rubbing soothing circles on her upper arm. Elsa’s mouth was open, and she wasn’t able to say anything. Instead, the ex-Protector nodded her head in response.

“I’m glad.” Anna spoke softly. “I actually had a mix of tea made for you to take home. It should help with the wounds.”

Elsa only tilted her head to the side as Anna continued to rub her upper arm and look at her in a way that made the Sigil’s heart want to burst through her chest. “You know that people are saying how you have chosen a favorite.” Elsa tried to lead.

“Does it bother you?” Anna asked hesitantly, her ministrations on Elsa’s arm slowing down.

Elsa scoffed and shook her head. “I don’t care what other people think.”

Elena’s response made Anna look at her in more admiration than before. Anna knew that Elena was a carefree soul, not caring about anyone’s opinions or thoughts of her. She didn’t strive to please anyone and didn’t care about an individual’s status or appealing to those individuals with high status and power.

“That’s good to hear.” Anna said.

“Would you want to tell me about what the Golden Pegasus mission is?’ Elsa tried to joke, wiggling her eyebrow. “You have to tell your favorite, right?”

Anna rolled her eyes at the sudden shift in the competitor’s persona. “No, I am not telling you.”

“Not even for your favorite?” Elena pouted. 

Anna raised her eyebrow at the girl. “Who said you were my favorite?”

Elena gasped in fake shock, placing a hand over her heart. “Am I not your favorite?”

Anna only giggled. The Queen was about to respond to the competitor when Prince Hans’s voice had intervened. 

“I’m sure Queen Anna doesn’t have favorites. That’s reckless and unjust of her to do, and Queen Anna is not an unjust individual.” Prince Hans had intervened into their conversation. Elsa restrained an eye roll towards the man and bit her tongue to prevent a rude comment from coming out.

“So, Queen Anna, how did your day go?” Hans tried to pull Anna away from the conversation. Elena rolled her eyes from his exclusive aura before turning her attention to Eric, who made eye contact with the Sigil. Eric only laughed before deciding to include Elena into his conversation with Kallum and Hercules. 

Anna hesitantly retracted her hand from Elena’s arm when she noticed that the blonde had shifted her attention away from her. With a small frown that went noticed by Prince Hans but unnoticed by Elena, the sovereign decided to entertain the Prince in his attempt to engage in a conversation with her.

The night went on smoothly. Kristoff had also joined onto the conversation with the Silver Kitsunes and the Golden Pegasuses while Prince Hans was trying to maintain his own conversation with Anna. Elsa could tell that the Queen was getting slightly bored and even uncomfortable with only talking with Hans, and as much as Elsa wanted to intervene and snarl at the Prince to back off, she knew she couldn’t. She didn’t have a right to Anna, and she wasn’t supposed to be anything more than just a competitor to the Queen.

Dessert had finally arrived, giving Anna an opportunity to attempt to steer away from her conversation from Hans. Unfortunately, that resulted in the Queen engaging in a conversation with Kristoff _and_ Hans.

Queen Anna tensed when Hans had asked Anna about her love life. Kristoff laughed at the topic that was brought up while Anna hesitantly answered that she hasn’t been in a romantic relationship for five years.

As the trio’s conversation progressed, the Golden Pegasuses and Silver Kitsunes were continuing with their own conversation. However, when they all had made eye contact with each other and their conversations were slightly faltering with delayed responses, each of them knew that they were trying to listen in on the conversation that was occurring adjacent of them. 

“You were in love with Elsa Winters, Kristoff’s older sister, right?”

The mention of Elsa’s own name made the Queen tense. Anna placed her fork down, her appetite dropping for dessert even though chocolate was her favorite.

“Yes, that’s right.” Anna answered softly. She placed her hands on her lap, and in the corner of Elsa’s eyes, she can see those small hands tremble slightly.

“I’m surprised that she hasn’t been found after the attack. I’m sorry for your loss, Your Majesty.” Hans said sympathetically, his green eyes looking at the Queen sadly… as if he was pitying her.

“It’s… fine.” Anna’s tone slightly increased when she had finished the sentence. It wasn’t obvious that her tone had increased, but it was definitely noticeable to Elsa and Spymaster Kallum.

“I’m sure you will find love soon, Your Majesty. There are a lot of great people out there.” Hans tried to console. “Heck, I’m sure any Prince or competitor in this competition would love to have a day with you, myself included.”

Anna’s hands trembling under the table intensified. Kristoff hesitantly nodded his head in agreement. Hans, who noticed his leader’s movement, added another statement. “And I mean, there’s always Kristoff, the youngest Winters. Anyone in this world would be honored to have the time of day with you, Your Majesty.”

Anna’s hands continued to tremble as she slowly balled her dress within her hands. “Thank you for the compliment, Prince Hans.”

Spymaster Kallum decided to abruptly jump into the conversation, taking in notice at how uncomfortable Anna was feeling. “So Prince Hans, how have you and your brothers enjoyed the competition so far?” All attention was diverted to Prince Hans and Spymaster Kallum. Kallum subtly glanced at Elsa before his eyes quickly shifted to Anna then immediately back to Hans. The action went unnoticed by everyone except Elsa, who instantly picked up on Kallum’s intentions.

_Of course, he would never engage in a conversation with royalty like this._

Elsa reached a hand under the table to gingerly place on top of Queen Anna’s. Anna’s teal eyes immediately looked at Elena, who attempted to softly pry Anna’s hands open. Anna’s hands unclenched and Elsa immediately went to work, gingerly placing her hand into Anna’s hand. The blonde started to draw small shapes, causing the redhead to relax at the gesture.

“Are you alright?” Elena asked, her blue eyes shined bright with concern towards the Queen. Anna nodded her head, offering a small smile to the blonde.

“I’ll get through it.” 

Elsa nodded her head before turning her attention back to Prince Hans’s and Kallum’s conversation, pretending as if she was listening this entire time. Her movements and soothing touches never faltered on Anna’s hand as she turned her attention back to her ex-mentor and the Prince.

In fact, the night soon concluded without the attention being focused onto the Queen or Elena. The pair just watched in silence as the men had conversated with one another. The workers had come to retrieve the remaining dishes while Eric stood up and yawned, stretching his body.

“Well, I should head back to my inn. I have early training in the morning.”

Kallum, Hercules, Kristoff, and Hans also stood up. Elsa gave a last, soothing caress on Anna’s hand before slowly retracting it. Anna frowned at the lack of touch but understood why Elena had done so.

“Sounds like a plan. I think we should all head out anyways - it’s getting late. I’m sure the Queen would want to get ready for bed.” Hercules said. The other men nodded their head in agreement as Elsa also stood up from her seat.

Prince Hans quickly scurried over to the opposite side of the table to stand next to Anna, who was still seated in her seat and had her eyes look curiously at the Prince. The man offered his hand out for the Queen with another charming smile. “Would you mind if I escorted you back to your room, Your Majesty?”

Hans’s gesture only caused Elsa to release a small huff of irritation, which went unnoticed to all except for Spymaster Kallum. The grey-eyed man raised his eyebrow at his ex-apprentice’s behavior.

Elsa’s blue eyes came into contact with Kallum’s grey ones. The Sigil shook her head and turned on her heel, about to walk away from the table with her back faced to Anna when she felt a small tug on the back of her white long-sleeve.

“Actually…” Elsa turned her head around to see the younger girl’s teal eyes gazed at her, her hand still grasping onto Elena’s white long-sleeve as she still sat in her seat. “Elena had offered to escort me back to my room and I accepted.”

Elsa’s breath caught in her throat while Hans looked between Anna and Elsa. The Prince’s eyes narrowed on Elsa when her blue ones met his green ones.

“Very well.” Hans breathed in an attempt to calm himself down. “I wish you a good night, Your Majesty. I hope you take the time to see the Copper Cerebuses training sometime this week - we have training during the afternoon in the courtyard, so it shouldn’t be too out of the way for you.”

Kallum only chuckled at Hans’s poor attempt to attract the Queen’s attention. Hercules rolled his eyes at the choice which Anna would have to make in the future because himself and Kristoff had trainings at the same time but in different places.

“We shall see.” Anna offered a smile while Hans nodded his head enthusiastically, giving a bow once more before turning his gaze towards Elena. 

Elsa immediately picked up on the message which those green eyes were trying to give, as if he was trying to declare some kind of competition of their own between the two that went beyond just the competition of Arendelle. For once, Elsa was being challenged to something that she didn’t put much of an effort in fighting for - challenged in something that she knew she couldn’t fully pursue. 

“Good night, Elena. I look forward to competing against you and your team.”

With that, Hans bid farewell to the leaders and had left the dining hall. Kristoff looked between Anna and Elena, unable to feel a twinge of jealousy as he saw the sparkle that bounced off of Queen Anna’s teal eyes. He couldn’t help but feel envious of the competitor as the Queen accepted her hand to help her out of her seat. Throughout the five years that Kristoff had spent with Anna, the younger girl always strayed away from ever holding his hand.

“Well, we should get going as well. Don’t want to hold the Queen back from her beauty rest, right Kristoff?” Hercules joked, turning his attention to the Royal Guard. Kristoff nodded his head, breaking his stare away from the Queen and Elena. Anna, too lost in Elena’s soft blue eyes, did not retort or throw a comment back at Hercules.

The leader of the Golden Pegasus shook his head with another laugh. “Let’s go, Kristoff. I’ll walk you to your room.” the man teased.

Kristoff rolled his blue eyes before exiting the dining hall with Hercules.

“It’s also my time to leave as well. Elena, I expect to see Queen Anna safe and well tomorrow morning for my meeting with her. If anything were to happen, you’ll be the first person that I’ll be hunting down.” Kallum said, more so to keep up an act of being an overprotective figure in Anna’s life.

“I will.” Elsa said firmly to Kallum. The Spymaster head bobbed up and down. He turned his body and made his departure out of the dining hall.

Anna kept her hand still grasped onto Elena’s, enjoying the feeling of her cool hand against her warm ones. “I’m sorry again for dragging you into this. You don’t really have to escort me to my room; I just didn’t want to spend more of the night with Prince Hans.”

Elsa turned her attention back to Anna, who kept her gaze down at their hands. The Sigil gave a light squeeze to Anna’s hand. “Nonsense, I would love to have the honor to take you back to your room, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you.” Anna said gratefully with a small smile, her teal eyes looking up to meet Elena’s blue ones.

“If you don’t mind though, Your Majesty, would you be alright with taking a stroll around the city?”

Anna raised her eyebrow at the girl. “Why do you want to walk around Arendelle?”

Elena smiled, any nerves omitted from that smile which was directed towards Anna. “I was going to grab something and wanted to know if you wanted a walk. Although, I understand if you don’t, and if so, I can escort you to your room first before leaving.” Elena answered. 

“No.” Anna quickly replied. Her quick and frantic response caused Elsa to tilt her head to the side. “I would love to come along.” Anna said bashfully, ducking her head down while a small flush made its way towards her cheek. “Would you mind if we went to my room though? I would like to change into a bit more casual clothes.”

Elena squeezed Anna’s hand, causing the redhead to look up at her. Elena offered her one of her smiles that caused anyone and everyone to swoon at the sight. “Great, ok. Let’s get going before it gets too late.”

Elsa, knowing that she shouldn’t have much knowledge of where the Royal Family resided at, allowed Anna to take the lead. The small girl’s head shook up and down in understanding before she guided the two out of the dining hall with hands still clasped. 

Anna had directly led them to the East Wing of the castle and from Elsa could remember, the girl had taken over a different room than the one she grew up in because of how it outgrew her. They had stopped outside a familiar door that Elsa remembers going to on the second night of the official competition.

Anna opened the door, and when Elsa had thought that the sovereign would ask her to wait outside, Anna had pulled the both of them into her room before closing it with a lock. 

The room was a bit more well-lit, and Elsa’s eyes couldn’t help but scan the room out of habit - there were two doors on the opposite sides of the room, most likely connected to the walk-in closet and bathroom for the Queen. There were another set of double doors that led to the balcony on the corner of the room to the right, allowing those who entered to overlook the ocean and mountains. The room looked pristine and neat, the large bed sat in the middle of the room, a vanity area which was also closed off with screens was on the left side of the room and a desk and chair with papers stacked high was on the right side of the room. 

During Elsa’s analysis of the room, Anna had released a hold of her hand from Elena before quickly scurrying towards the closet. When Elsa had finished studying the room, Anna had exited out of the walk-in closet, opting in to wearing a pair of dark-blue denim jeans and a light-green long sleeve. The Queen walked over to her desk and picked off a black trench coat that was draped across her chair. 

She immediately placed on the trench coat before turning her attention towards Elena. “Do you want to borrow or use a coat? I apologize, but I remember how you had to cut off the sleeves of yours earlier today and didn’t want you to catch a cold if we are to go out at this time of night.”

Elsa shook her head as Anna approached her to stand by her side. “I’m alright. The cold never really bothered me anyways.”

“Very well. Shall we get going?” Anna asked.

“Yes, we shall.” Elena responded before reaching for the Queen’s hand, initiating the touch for once. Anna’s teal eyes widened, and she held her breath as Elena had intertwined their fingers together.

Elsa meekly looked up at Anna. “Is this alright?”

Anna wanted to scream in excitement; she wanted to affirm to the competitor that this was more than alright - that she was relieved Elena had shown some sort of interest in her. 

“Yes, it’s fine.” Anna breathed.

“Okay then.” Elsa smiled before leading the two away from Anna’s room and retracing her steps towards the front of the castle. 

The pair continued walking, their hands gripped tightly but softly, firm but relaxed, against each other and never slackening. Once they had exited the bridge of the castle, the pair walked towards the town square. As usual, the town square, busier than usual because of the competition, was lively with people ranging from young children and families to teenagers, adults and elderly people.

Elsa continued to lead the girl through the town square until they arrived at a familiar road. They walked down and made a turn in an alley that had fairy lights strung across the shops that were on both sides of the alley. Anna’s forehead scrunched in confusion as they walked through restaurant row. Was Elena still hungry? The thought concerned the Queen as the competitor continued to lead her down. Due to the narrow space, people noticed the Queen and started hush whispers with those they were nearby.

Anna rolled her eyes and released a sigh. This was definitely going to come back at her full force. The thought of dealing about this with her advisors the next day was something which Anna was dreading. Maybe she should have dressed up to properly hide her identity but wearing sunglasses during the night did sound ridiculous.

As Anna thought and dreaded about dealing with the matter that would be presented to her tomorrow by her advisors, Elena seemed to have stopped walking. Anna stopped as well, snapping out her thoughts as she looked at the shop in front of them.

It was her favorite chocolate shop.

Elena tugged her into the small stall and Anna followed. The strong waft of chocolate filled her nose, causing Anna’s mouth to water. The shopkeeper’s eyes brightened when he noticed the Queen and Elena.

“What would you like to get?” Elena asked, turning towards Anna. The Queen looked up at the competitor, her eyebrows raised.

“What?”

Elena looked down at their intertwined hands and shifted on her feet. Anna barely caught the faint, pink tint that dusted across the competitor’s pale complexion right below her snowflake mask. “Well, I noticed that you weren’t able to eat dessert at today’s dinner, and it was chocolate, which is your favorite. I thought it would have been nice to come here and grab some dessert that you couldn’t enjoy earlier this night.”

The sight in front of Anna made her heart swell against her chest and her stomach twist in ways that she hasn’t felt it twist for five years. Suddenly, the worries and thoughts about dealing with this potential gossip the following day was forgotten. In fact, Anna would willingly go through all of the worst possible gossip and rumors just to be in this moment with Elena.

“Oh, maybe you don’t want chocolate? Or maybe you didn’t eat dessert because you weren’t feeling it? I’m sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have assumed. This was all I really wanted to do in the city, and it was foolish of me to assume. I should have asked you instead of dragging you here - “

“Elena…” The slip of her name off of Anna’s lips made the competitor look back up at the Queen. The sovereign felt her heart rapidly beat against her chest, but she tried to play it off as best as she can with a small, comforting smile and a squeeze of their intertwined hands. “I really appreciate it. I actually didn’t have the opportunity to eat the dessert that I actually looked forward to. Thank you for taking me here.”

Elena reciprocated a small smile to the Queen - one which was filled with relief and something else which Anna couldn’t pick up. “It’s no problem. Now, what would you want to get?”

The two had grabbed a few chocolate bars, a chocolate lava cake and some hot cocoa. Instead of going back to the castle, Anna had led the pair through the town square and towards the direction of the docks. Elena followed behind her, attached to Anna through their intertwined hands, and walked through this secluded path until they arrived on the beach side of Arendelle. The waves softly crashed against the shore as the moon shined brightly in the night sky, the stars more prominent from the beach. Due to the path that they had taken, this part of the beach was a bit more secluded as there was not a person in sight.

Anna took off her boots, allowing the soft sand to slide in between her toes. The younger girl led them a bit further into the beach until she stopped their movements and released her hold on Elena’s hand momentarily. The Queen proceeded to take off the trench coat in order to use it as a place to sit. Once the coat was spread out onto the sand, Anna gingerly lowered herself down. Elena looked down at the girl, watching as she settled herself onto the sand before reaching for Elena’s hand and tugging her down.

“You’re going to get cold, Anna.” Elena said as she sat on the trench coat next to the Queen. The ocean breeze was a bit cooler than usual, and Elsa could clearly see Anna’s attempt to restrain a shiver.

“I’ll be fine.” Anna answered, feeling the chill of the ocean wind. Although, she knew the shiver that ran through her body wasn’t entirely because of the ocean breeze. 

Elena shook her head. _Agh, if only I brought more than one coat - the one coat I owned had to get cut up._

Anna wrapped her hands around her cup of hot chocolate, using the heat from the cup to keep her warm. Elena, used to the harsh cold weather, took out a chocolate bar and the lava cake. The competitor opened the package that held the cake before giving it to the Queen. Anna smiled and thanked the girl before freeing up a hand to eat the chocolate cake.

Elena broke the chocolate bar in a few pieces, munching on some pieces occasionally as Anna continued to savor her hot chocolate and lava cake. Although, after taking a few bites, Anna forked a piece and brought it up to Elena’s lips.

“I know you like chocolate too. You should try some.” the Queen softly said. Elena looked down at the delicacy before leaning forward and enrapturing the cake into her mouth. The competitor pulled away, closed her eyes and hummed in appreciation.

“That taste way better than today’s dessert.” Elena concluded. Anna giggled and nodded her head, having already tried her chef’s chocolate lava cake, she could also conclude that the chocolate shop served better cake - the difference was astronomical.

The pair continued the night with savoring the cake and discussing the most mundane things - ranging from things such as which leader they would be trapped on an island with to the possibilities of multiple, alternate universes. Once the cake was done and the chocolate bar was basically demolished, Anna leaned her head to the right, resting it gently onto Elena’s good shoulder. The two stared off into the distance, Elena’s right hand intertwined with Anna’s left hand. The competitor used her left arm to bring the Queen closer to her body, offering the younger girl some sort of heat on this cold night. Although Elena tried to suggest that they go back to the castle after the cake was finished, Anna had refused, wanting to stay out on the beach a little longer.

“Think about it - if there are alternate universes for how you were born as well as every decision not only you made, but your ancestors made, then there are an infinite number of alternate universes. There would be an alternate universe where I’m not Queen, an alternate universe where maybe we’re just friends or an alternate universe where you don’t have to struggle with your friends.” Anna said enthusiastically. She looked out into the ocean, savoring the warmth of Elena’s body as the cool, ocean breeze grazed against her cheeks. In this moment, being with Elena felt like being under the covers with a cup of hot chocolate on a cold, winter day. It was comfy and soothing.

Elena laughed, continuing to draw small figures on Anna’s shoulder. “There could also be an alternate universe where everything is the same, but Hercules and Kallum have switched personalities.”

Anna giggled. “I wouldn’t know if I would want to live in that alternate universe or not. A merrier Spymaster by my side sounds more enjoyable than a broody one, but at the same time, Hercules can be like an annoying brother.” 

“There could also be an alternate universe where the attack on Arendelle never happened, where we never met, and that Elsa would still be in your life.”

Anna paused. Of course, the redhead always thought about that alternate universe in the past. She always thought about the universe where the attack on Arendelle never happened and where she would still have Elsa in her life. If not that universe, then a universe where Elsa did come back to her - that she went through hell and back just to make sure that she kept her promise of always being there for her. However, as of recent, Anna hasn’t thought of the idea of those universes lately.

“Possibly.” Anna decided to answer. Ever since that night where Kallum had first come back and said that he had spotted Elsa, Kristoff’s words had always bothered Anna. The possibility of her first lover being a Sigil was slim - the girl never displayed any powers of ice, and she would never hide it from Anna. 

Furthermore, if she was a Sigil… 

Kristoff’s words echoed within her head. _“Elsa wouldn’t drop love and promises just to become a Sigil… If it is her, then why did she choose not to come back? Why would she abandon her position here? Why would she abandon you?”_

“Is something bothering you, Anna?” Elena’s voice broke through her stupor. Anna blinked her eyes rapidly, focusing back into reality. The younger girl didn’t realize that she was actually crying until she felt the wet tears on her cheeks.

“I…” 

The single syllable that Anna had spoken was all it took for Elena to pick up that something was wrong. The competitor pulled away, looking down at the sovereign to see her wipe away her tears. A natural instinct kicked in as Elsa quickly positioned themselves so that Anna sat on her lap. The competitor brought both of her hands up, cradling the younger girl’s face and looked deeply into her teal eyes.

“What’s wrong, little star?”

Anna looked up into the blue ceruleans that she had found comfort in this past week. The memories of her first encounter with Elena under the stars of the balcony in her study flashed in her mind. She remembers how the girl treated her so normally and how she continued to care for her throughout the competition, but not in a way that seemed to be trying to earn the sovereign’s favor. Elena always treated her genuinely and honestly, disregarding her status of being Queen. Being around Elena, Anna felt normal, as if she didn’t have to put up a pretense, as if she didn’t have to carefully walk on eggshells and watch how she acted, said and behaved. With Elena, Anna could be carefree and open, understanding that the older girl would never judge her.

“Little star?” Anna tried to giggle through her tears at the poor attempt of a nickname.

Elena rolled her eyes playfully and slightly tickled Anna’s side, causing the girl to emit a few more giggles even through her tears. “We first met talking about stars as we were stargazing. I think it’s a brilliant nickname.”

Anna released another giggle, but it was still laced with the sadness that had washed over the girl seconds ago. Elena used the pads of her thumbs to wipe away the remaining, stray tears on the Queen’s cheeks.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Elena whispered softly. That was another thing that Anna liked about Elena - she didn’t push for anything. She always asked to make sure that Anna was comfortable talking about it.

Anna shook her head and instead, leaned forward so that her head rested on Elena’s good shoulder. The competitor gingerly wrapped her arms around the younger girl, encasing her in a hug.

“Just... hold me please.”

Elena answered with a small kiss to the side of Anna’s head and her arms still securely wrapped around the girl. The pair stayed on the beach for the remainder of the night until they entered the late hours when Elsa had felt Anna’s body grow limp and relaxed, her breathing shallowing out. Once Queen Anna was asleep, Elsa strategically picked the girl up wrapped in her own black, trench coat as she had picked her up the second night - one arm on the middle of her back, the other behind her knees with Anna’s head resting comfortably against the top of Elsa’s breast.

Carefully, Elsa made sure to carry the Queen back to the castle, barely encountering anyone as everyone had called it a night hours ago. Elsa made sure to be with the Queen the entire way, even as she saw Gerda waiting at the front gates for the two, even as they entered the castle, even as they approached Anna’s room in the East Wing of the castle. Elsa made sure that she was there to gingerly place Anna down onto her bed, taking off her boots and draping the black trench coat over a chair, before tucking the girl in. Elena leaned forward to place a small kiss on Anna’s forehead before retreating away. The Sigil looked down lovingly at the sovereign one last time before quietly making her departure.


	28. Week One Tournaments

_Anna looked up into those familiar blue eyes that she hasn’t seen in the longest time. The girl that was looking down at her offered her one of her shy, soft smiles that poured with affection and love. The owner of the blue eyes had their light-blue long sleeve arms wrapped securely around Anna’s waist. Her thin attire of her long sleeve and black tights didn’t cause the girl to shiver from the cool wind that brushed through the courtyard._

_Her pale complexion was as clear as day, even though they were under the night sky of the courtyard. Her face was clear of any blemishes, clear of any mask._

_A simple sword was equipped on her belt that lacked a guard, but nonetheless, it was a sword that she valued because it was given by her mentor. Her hair was in its signature, loose single plait that was casted to one side of her shoulder while her wisps and baby hairs were slicked back. Anna dug herself deeper into the girl’s embrace, hearing the soft, angelic laughter echo within her ears._

_This was home. She was her home._

_And yet, no matter how much Anna had buried herself into the older, taller girl, she couldn’t pick up a scent._

_“Elsa?” Anna murmured into her. Her Protector did not respond to her, concerning the younger girl._

_Suddenly, Elsa’s body was withdrawn away from her and the sounds of screams along with metal clashing against metal echoed within the courtyard. Anna’s eyes blew out to the size of moons as she watched Elsa quickly withdraw her sword and cut down flying arrows that were coming their way._

_Groans and screams continued to ensue within the courtyard as enemies and guards alike were getting killed or injured. Frightened, teal eyes swept across the courtyard to look at the bloodshed. Her eyes didn’t stray away for too long when the sound of metal piercing into flesh was all too familiar nearby. The younger girl’s eyes shot towards the blonde girl, her body heaving as an arrow had pierced into her left thigh. Dead or unconscious bodies of their enemies littered in front of them, and yet, Elsa still kept her sword high._

_When Anna had blinked, she saw Elsa towering over her with a sword sliced down onto Elsa’s shoulder. The Protector’s sword was pointed backwards as the man which had attacked her fell with a thud behind her. When she withdrew her sword, the man’s blood dripped from the thin blade._

_Anna blinked again and didn’t realize that someone was forcing her up, carrying her away from the scene. Her vision blurred; her breathing was irregular as she watched a man materialize in the crowd that Elsa was facing against. She watched as the man lunged his sword into the Protector, a triumphant smirk decorated his face as he watched her fall limp against his sword. As he withdrew his sword, the young blonde fell with a soft thud against the ground._

* * *

Anna shot up in her bed in a cold sweat. The frantic Queen looked to her left, seeing the orange light filter through her balcony the sun rising.

It was just a dream. Another one of her many nightmares that she had experienced frequently throughout the past five years. Although this was one of the many nightmares that always paid her a visit, the Queen was never used to the terror that it brought upon her.

Shaking her head, Anna knew that she couldn’t stay in bed and wallow in her sorrows and fears. Today was the first day of the three-day tournament, and she knew she had to show face, especially considering that she did not show up to any practices this past week except for the Golden Pegasus’s practices.

The image of a girl wearing a snowflake mask, platinum-blonde hair flowing smoothly down her back with her hair also framing her face came into mind. As of recent, Anna knew that she was always going to the Golden Pegasus’s practice for the competitor - there was no doubt about it. She had the opportunity to go to the Copper Cerberuses’s practices considering that it was closest to her in the courtyard the past two days, and yet, Anna found herself leaving the castle prior to the time of the practice, arriving at the beach and in the forest to be on time for the Golden Pegasus’s practices.

The past two days, even the Golden Pegasuses were used to her presence, as if they were expecting her to come. While Anna was watching their practices, she recalls how Hercules nervously laughed and told the Queen that Elena would only be helping him with strategy and form of the other members. 

Seeing Elena’s leadership skills, her strategic mindset on the battlefield and her teachings towards the other members of her team had put Anna in awe. The older girl was always so put together - she always gave constructive feedback and criticism, walked through the motions of the exercise with the entire team and was patient but also strict in a way that she was looking out for the improvement of her team members. Her guidance and instruction when it came to battling against Hercules’s team as they split the Golden Pegasuses in two during the practice had placed everyone in a trance. How she knew how to position her team to minimize damage and come out victorious in a fight had shocked even Hercules himself. 

Now today, to see how it would actually play out when the Silver Kitsunes would go against the Golden Pegasuses had excited Anna. Everyone was discussing how it would be about strategy versus strength, wisdom versus power. It made sense considering that Spymaster Kalum was well-known for his strategies, along with having Eric as a captain, known to be able to quickly study his opponent’s behavior and take advantage of it was what classified the Silver Kitsunes as the team with strategy, slyness and wisdom.

The Golden Pegasuses, being led by Hercules, got the reputation of strength and power. With Hercules being the strongest man on Earth, it seemed that the reputation would be automatically assumed. Alongside with his strength, his training with his then mentor Phil had classified Hercules to also be very agile and purposeful. Furthermore, having Elena as a captain had spread a great deal for the Golden Pegasuses. Elena had performed well with her agility, her surprising strength and her ability to look so elegant along the battlefield, as if each of her own moves had purpose. What no one expected was how much of a leader Elena was and how strategic she could be, being able to quickly improvise and act quickly against her enemies. It was reasonable that no one knew that though, considering that the Golden Pegasuses didn’t get into actual team fighting until they were on the beach or forest. Even then, with Elena, people had only seen her individual prowess.

Anna stretched her body. She should get prepared so that she could get enough work done before heading over to the arena to watch the mock battle unfold. Any available downtime had to be utilized for work, considering that the next two days would also be as busy, if not busier, than today.

* * *

Elsa’s eyes swept across her entire team as they prepared for the mock battle against the Silver Kitsunes. The mock battles moving forward would have the competitors be using wooden weapons because of the possibility of people getting hurt. Arrows were wooden and blunt, using a specific sort of wood that would mimic the speed and weight as if a regular arrow would be used.

“Alright team, are you ready?” Hercules walked into the room, surveying his team. The Golden Pegasuses nodded their head, all of their eyes focused on the team leader.

“Great. As mentioned, I will not be able to provide any guidance to your performance against the teams during the mock battles. You will all have to rely on your battlefield chemistry, as well as your team captain. I’m sure that after these past two days, you are all in capable hands.” Hercules’s blue eyes drifted towards Elena, who wore a short golden cape with two, thin white strips at the end. The cape was draped to her side and only reached down to her elbow in replace of her translucent, dual capes. The captain of each team had their own, respective cape with their team color.

Elsa nodded her head, adjusting her cape so that it wouldn’t get in the way of combat. The Sigil had stored a few throwing daggers into a small pouch that hung on the belt around her waist. A wooden dagger was also in its sheath on the belt with her wooden sword in hand.

“I know we will win.” One guy cheered on their team.

“After this week’s practice, they won’t see what’s coming!” Another added.

“That’s the spirit.” Hercules smiled, nodding his head in approval. “Now get out there and win this for the Golden Pegasuses.”

“Lead the way, captain!” Another cheered as all eyes landed on Elena.

The blonde girl nodded her head, earning the trust and respect of most of her team members after they had witnessed her fight with Hercules. Furthermore, with her strategic mindset and unique skill set, the young girl had earned almost all of the respect of the members. Even though a few were still hesitant in believing in her, they had gone along with listening to her orders in an attempt to help be in sync with their team.

Elena turned on her heel and started exiting out of the room. Her entire team followed in suite in two lines, walking towards the opening that would allow them to enter the field of the arena. Cheers were already in the air as the announcers had just introduced the Silver Kitsunes onto the field.

From where Elena stood, she had a good view of Eric and his team that stood behind him. His attire didn’t change at all - still in his usual white, collared shirt, red belt and blue pants. The only addition to his attire was a cape identical to hers but silver in color.

The announcer introduced the Golden Pegasuses, giving Elsa the signal to lead her team into the arena. As Elena led her team in, cheers and uproar echoed within the open arena. The blonde could finally survey the arena, noticing how packed the seats of the arena were. All eyes were looking down onto the field, especially at her team that had just entered the field. No one had known who the team captains were on each team, and so, the sight of Elena with her golden cape had caused much more cheers and applause.

Elena’s blue eyes swept across the crowd until it looked up onto the VIP box area, where she noticed the Queen peering down at her curiously. Queen Anna also had two men by her side - Spymaster Kallum and Hercules, who were standing and looking down at their respective teams as well. Elsa’s blue eyes met with Anna’s teal ones, and the competitor offered the sovereign a small smile before turning her attention back to her opponents. 

There were referees aligned all around the circumference of the battlefield but in the stands, far enough to not get in the way but close enough to call out if any of the competitors were eliminated. Each competitor, if they were not a team captain, was marked with a number on their back. The tournaments were fairly uniform considering that if someone was not a team captain, they would have to wear a jersey that was the color of their team with a number on the back. 

The announcer declared the competition to start, and Spymaster Kallum’s team had immediately dispersed across the battlefield, getting into their positions and waiting for the Golden Pegasuses to make a move. Eric stood still where he was at, in the front of his entire team, watching the Golden Pegasuses and waiting for them to make a move. Eric’s wooden sword was held up, in a stance that was ready to deflect any incoming attack.

“Position two.” Elsa demanded her team. The Golden Pegasuses behind her immediately dispersed to mirror each of the Silver Kitsunes in the battlefield, creating an equal amount of distance between the enemy and themselves. Elsa took a few steps forward, her sword held up high in the air as she mirrored Eric, who was only looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

The only difference between the two teams was that the Silver Kitsunes’s archers were spread out, being mixed in the front and the back. Meanwhile, the Golden Pegasuses’s archers were strategically in the back, their bows up but no arrow were drawn.

There was a deathly silence that encased the entire arena. All the onlookers were on the edge of their seats, peering down at the scene, curious and holding their breath in anticipation. Each team didn’t move either, only making eye contact with who they were paired off with.

Eric kept his eyes solely on Elena, watching as the girl held her wooden sword high with two hands. Eric knew that patience was key when it came to this situation - his team needed to wait for the Golden Pegasuses to make a move, considering that his own team had mostly trained defensively.

Although, Eric was shocked to see Elena still standing in her spot, waiting patiently for him to make a move. Her entire team was disciplined, as if they, as much as they had wanted to make an assault, had waited for their team captain to order them to do so.

It was the waiting game, Eric had concluded. The man knew that Elena could wait ages for her enemy to make a move. So, it all boiled down to the patience and the competence of the other people on the battlefield.

Eric’s mind was about to wonder which team would lack the patience until it was immediately answered when he saw an arrow flying towards Elena. The blonde girl quickly deflected it with her arrow and threw something tiny to her left.

Eric’s blue eyes followed where the item which Elena threw was supposed to go. His blue eyes were full blown when he noticed that one of the front-line Golden Pegasuses was also in the midst of deflecting an incoming arrow his way. Although, simultaneously, one of Eric’s men was running straight at the man who was focused on blocking the arrow.

The Silver Kitsune who had broken position released a small cry as the wooden dagger that Elena had thrown pierced right into his upper arm. As a result, as if Elena had known the man would move in that direction from being hit, her second wooden dagger that was thrown, unnoticed by Eric, had slammed against the blade and knocked the wooden sword out of the Silver Kitsune’s hand.

The Golden Pegasus that was supposed to be down had successfully deflected the arrow and pointed his sword straight at the Silver Kitsune’s throat.

“Silver Number 19 is out!” one of the referees that was watching along the front of the arena had said. The Silver Kitsune grumbled before turning on his heel and jogging towards the side that was designated for those who were eliminated from the mock battle.

As if the announcement of their team member had spurred the competition on, the Silver Kitsunes suddenly charged at the Golden Pegasuses. Arrows started flying from the Silver Kitsunes, and as a response, the Golden Pegasuses had their archers fire their arrows as well in an attempt to buy time for their front line who had to deflect the arrows.

For some reason, it seemed that Elena was most of the Silver Kitsunes’s targets. At least three men charged towards her from different angles, and all Elena do was carefully watch their speed and movement. Once the first had arrived, she had spun away from him to follow up with blocking the second attack from the second man. With her overwhelming strength, she was able to push him away before turning to deflect the third man. This time, in the midst of turning to deflect the third man, Elena had thrown her wooden daggers to tap against the man’s chest.

“Silver Number 3 out!” another referee yelled, witnessing what was going on between Elena and the Silver Kitsunes.

Eric only stood in his spot, trying to redirect his men who were rather listening or ignoring to him. As his eyes scanned all of the Golden Pegasuses, he started picking up intel on them. Although, his main attention was on Elena’s attempt to deal with the three Kitsunes. When number 3 had retreated, number 15 had launched his attack again with number 17, sandwiching Elena. Although, the competitor acted quick by ducking and sweeping her leg outward, slamming against both number 15’s and number 17’s ankles and causing them to fall. Elena threw another wooden dagger at number 15 and pointed her sword at number 17. The wooden dagger softly hit against number 15’s head as he was down, while number 17 looked up with terror at the captain of the Golden Pegasuses.

“Silver Number 15, Number 17 are out!”

The two men grumbled before quickly scurrying out of the battlefield.

When Elena had turned her eyes towards Eric, a shiver ran down his back at the cold intensity that those blue orbs held. Eric didn’t realize that more than half of his men were gone, leaving about fifteen Silver Kitsunes left. Meanwhile, Elena still had double the amount of people on her team remaining on the battlefield.

Eric grimaced and held his sword high. He only had a handful of archers left and the remaining swordsmen, or front-liners, all were ones that had listened to his command. It just showed how he lacked control of his team.

“No one go for the captain of the Golden Pegasuses. Let me deal with her.” Eric told his team. “Formation Beta.”

With that being said, it seemed that the Silver Kitsunes had paired off into groups of three, approaching the Golden Pegasuses as a unit. Arrows continued to fly from both sides, but arrows that were headed towards the Silver Kitsunes were always blocked by the same person in the group of three.

Elena looked impassively at the man in front of her, the person that was her friend throughout the competition. This was all a mock battle, but the blonde knew that Eric still had strategies up his sleeve. His strategy of pairing his team off in groups of three at the low number of men was smart - Elena couldn’t equate and make groups to go against his groups because six was too much to go in as a unit.

“Mirror with five groups of three while the remaining find a partner.” Elena instructed. All the Golden Pegasuses nodded their head and created five groups of three. The remaining Pegasuses had paired off and started to shift around the arena.

Meanwhile, Eric kept Elena occupied by instantly attacking her with his sword in quick thrusts and jabs. The Sigil parried each and every one of his attacks, refusing to try and dodge by sliding away as she understood Eric’s play when it came to these attacks.

In fact, all Elena did was parry and defend against his assaults, but she never did attack him even when she had the opportunity or chance to. This disabled the captain of the Silver Kitsunes from being able to read the young blonde. 

Something that Eric wasn’t expecting was the captain of the Golden Pegasuses to not only deflect each of his attacks, but to also throw wooden daggers towards his own team that was skirmishing against hers. He was in awe at the fact that Elena’s daggers continuously hit his team members in vital spots, eliminating them while she was still able to keep Eric on his feet. The way that Elena had kept him busy by deflecting his attacks or making small, distractive jabs of her own while also subduing his own team made Eric realize that this girl was more capable than she looked - that she would be equivalent to an army of men.

So, Eric did the only thing he could to try and keep his team safe while also keeping the blonde’s attention to him - he tried to continuously attack the girl but also use all his energy to determine his surroundings in order to deflect her daggers.

To say that the whole task was draining would be an understatement - Eric, although able to stop some daggers from being thrown, realized that he felt fatigued and couldn’t stop every single one. Even though he felt as if he did mitigate some of the daggers, he didn’t realize that it all boiled down to himself on the Silver Kitsunes when his last teammate was eliminated by one of the Golden Pegasuses.

Eric breathed, sweat trickling down the side of his head while his tired eyes looked at an impassive Elena. The man shook his head, dropped his sword and raised his hand up in defeat.

“And that concludes round one of the tournament! The Golden Pegasuses win.” the announcer bellowed, causing an uproar throughout the entire arena. Pops echoed within the stadium while Golden slips of paper fell from the sky. People applauded below at the victorious team.

Elena’s eyes swept across the stadium, noticing a certain section especially dedicated to those who were fans of the Golden Pegasuses. Even as her eyes swept across a section that consisted of people who were her supposed fanbase, based on how each one held snowflake signs and a banner with her own name, the Sigil seemed unfazed by that. What did matter was when her eyes swept upwards towards the VIP box.

From where she stood, she could see Kallum shaking his head, but the blonde could see a faint smile decorated his lips. Hercules cheered, laughing boisterously and clapping at his team’s victory. Meanwhile, Anna looked down in pure adoration, but what mattered, what made Elsa’s heart seem to burst through her chest, was the fact that Anna was staring directly at her.

Elena felt her team rush towards her, patting her on the back in congratulations as they showered her with praise. Some thanked her for eliminating their foe with their daggers while others applauded her for her ability to subdue enemies while keeping the captain of the Silver Kitsunes in check.

Even though only the first day was over, Elena knew that they still had to go against the Copper Cerberuses the following day.

* * *

The night had soon passed and a new day was upon them. Elena continuously blocked and parried each of Prince Hans’s attacks against her, his form of weapon preferably being a spear. Everyone watched in awe at the fight that was ongoing between the two captains while everyone else around them seemed to have been dealing with their own enemy. Prince Hans wore his white blazer, blue suit pants and blue vest with a cape that was identical to Elena’s on his shoulder, but instead of a golden color, it had a copper color to it.

The Copper Cerberuses were known for brute strength, confidence and aggression. From what Elsa picked up as she was trying to block each of Prince Hans’s attacks, his entire team, including himself, would always be the ones to make the first move, constantly lunging and attacking at her own teammates, forcing them into a mode of defense. Even though Hercules had touched upon defense with them, it was entirely based on the individual if they could block the attack. 

The Copper Cerberuses had about ten more men on the field than the Golden Pegasuses. Everyone watched in shock as the Golden Pegasuses numbers were slowly dwindling down. It didn’t help that once a Copper Cerberus had defeated a Golden Pegasus, that Cerberus would proceed to assist their team captain in cutting down the captain of the Golden Pegasuses.

The heat was much heavier and excruciating today than it was the day before. Elsa felt a heatwave wash over her as she pushed back a Copper Cerberus before blocking an attack by Prince Hans once more.

Elsa released a huff of breath. The Copper Cerberuses had to lose stamina eventually, which was what Elsa was hoping to accomplish as she parried each of their attacks. When she saw a moment where a Cerberus was out of breath, the captain would immediately eliminate them on the spot.

Elsa created some distance between her enemies and herself before commanding her team to pair off with another. She knew that her teammates would benefit if they had a partner, allowing each of them to fight for not only themselves, but for each other if one needed a small breath. 

It had seemed to work considering that the Golden Pegasuses were slowly gaining a lead against the Copper Cerberuses. Elsa tried to intervene in certain fights by creating distance between herself and Prince Hans to cut down a lone Cerberus before turning her attention back to the Prince. There were times when Elsa had left to eliminate a Cerberus that Prince Hans would attempt to eliminate one of her own men, but the Sigil was quick to act by throwing a dagger his way, distracting the man before lunging at him again, keeping his attention and preventing him from eliminating any of her teammates.

The entire stadium was filled with gasps when the sound of wood splitting open echoed within the air. Prince Hans looked down at Elena with his green eyes wide and fear prevalent. His spear was split in two, the wooden, pointed end had fallen to the ground. Meanwhile, Elena pointed her wooden sword at his neck, her blue eyes void of any emotion.

“Captain of the Copper Cerberuses is out.”

Prince Hans still stood in shock while Elena immediately turned to deflect and eliminate a Copper Cerberus had that charged at her, hoping to catch her off guard. Prince Hans, who was supposed to leave the arena and stand on the side, only stood there with pure shock as Elena continued to prowl throughout the battlefield, assisting her teammates and eliminating any Copper Cerberuses that were still present. 

Only after ten minutes of Prince Han’s elimination was when the announcer had declared the Golden Pegasuses as the victors.

A round of applause echoed throughout the stadium. Elsa heard a stampede followed by herself being lifted up by her teammates. Cheers continued on as her own teammates made their own cheers at how they had won the tournament for the first week. Elsa blinked, emotions flowing back into her irises as she laughed at her team’s laughter and actions. Her blue eyes scanned the arena once more, noting the large support and cheers her team was retrieving.

As expected, her eyes couldn’t help but lift upwards towards the VIP box, noting how Hercules was patting Kristoff’s back, laughing at how the Captain of the Royal Guard’s mood seemed to drop when his team had officially lost. What surprised Elsa was how Queen Anna stood from her seat, clapping and cheering at the victory that the Golden Pegasuses had claimed.

Blue met teal for the first time that day, and for the millionth time since Elsa has been back in Arendelle, she couldn’t help having her breath stolen from her body once more.

* * *

“Cheers to our captain!” One man yelled throughout the room. The entire room cheered as well, raising their glasses as all eyes landed on Elena. The blonde smiled at her team, raising her own glass.

“It was because of your teamwork that allowed all of us to win. We all won because we were a team.” Elena answered.

The sounds of clinks resonated within the air while Hercules laughed. “Now, now Pegasuses - even though you have won the tournament, you still have that mission tomorrow. The mission will also determine our placement for this week, so do not let your guard down when tomorrow comes.”

“Leader! What is our mission going to pertain to anyways?” One man asked.

“We’re just doing a simple escort mission, that’s all. Nonetheless, it shouldn’t take too long to do the escort mission. We leave tomorrow at sunrise and should be back at nightfall.” Hercules explained to his team.

Most of the men groaned at the prospect of having to get up early. Hercules chuckled at his team. “Sorry guys, I don’t make the rules.”

“Who is it that we are escorting?” One of the men asked.

“Just a noble, that’s all. Nonetheless, we have to keep a keen eye out and make sure that we do our mission successfully.” Hercules answered.

Only murmurs of agreement filled the room, but Hercules had followed up with his answer. “I’m sure we will do fine. Congratulations to all again.” Hercules cheered.

As the night progressed, the party still ensued within the bar room at Oaken’s Inn. Oaken, holding a captain of one of the three teams in his Inn, became a huge supporter of the captain and their respective team; therefore, when the Golden Pegasuses had won against the Copper Cerebuses and the Silver Kitsunes, Oaken had allowed them to reserve a portion of his bar for their victory. Even though the Golden Pegasuses continued to celebrate, the other patrons of the bar didn’t seem to mind, and even if a complaint was filed to Oaken, the man would simply shrug his shoulders.

Elsa looked at her team with a heart full of pride from where she sat at the barstool. They trusted her as a captain and trusted each other when it came to performing against the other teams. She knew that her team still had far more growth, but they were at least getting somewhere.

“Congratulations, Elena.”

Elsa turned around towards the familiar voice that just greeted her. The competitor’s eyes met the sovereign of Arendelle, looking up at her with a small smile on her face. The Queen was dressed in a light-green sweater, jeans and the usual black trench coat.

Elsa smiled at the sovereign. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Anna nodded her head, understanding why Elena had acknowledged her that way. The redhead disliked when Elena would greet her with that tone of formality considering how close they have gotten, yet Anna understood that they were in a public setting after all.

“You fought well, and I’m sure if people did not understand your combat skills before, they sure do now.”

Elsa laughed. “I hope they do. Maybe it will finally give Hercules the idea to not go so easy on me.”

“I’m sure he has gotten the idea after you sent him to the infirmary.”

Elsa smiled back at the memory that was only three days ago. “So, what brings you here?”

Anna felt heat rise to her cheeks. “Well…”

Elsa tilted her head to the side, her blue eyes waiting for Anna to answer her question.

“I just wanted to see you and spend time with you, that’s all.” Anna said softly, her eyes looking down and away from the competitor. Elsa smiled at the girl, placing her drink down on the bar, turning her body so that she was fully facing the younger girl before placing a hand on top of the Queen’s.

Anna looked up from the contact, her eyes glazed with the slightest nervousness. Her heart hammered against her chest and a set of nervous butterflies fluttered in her gut.

“Okay, let’s go then.” The competitor said boldly with a charismatic smile, intertwining their hands together on Anna’s lap.

The younger girl’s eyes widened, teal eyes blinking at the competitor under the horrible lighting. “Really?”

“Yep! Let’s get going.” Elsa hopped down from the bar, her two feet landing on the ground before tugging Anna’s hand. The Queen quickly nodded her head, hopping down from her seat and allowing the competitor to lead her out of the poorly lit bar until they reached the hallway of the inn. 

The pair walked out of the inn, needing to pass the lobby where Oaken only flicked his fingers back and forth with a smirk on his face.

“Where are we going?” Anna giggled as the competitor continued to pull her along. Elsa turned her head to shoot a girl a soft smile before continuing to lead the way.

“It’s a surprise.” Elsa answered as they cut through the town square and down the path that led to the forest.

Anna raised her eyebrow. “The forest? Are you trying to kidnap me?” The sovereign teased.

Elsa chuckled. “Maybe I am? You need a break from your duties anyways.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “You don’t know that. I always come to your practices and I watched the tournaments.”

“But besides that, I’ve heard how you work yourself to the bone, especially during the past two days. You need a break.” Elsa scolded. The pair had just reached the welcome sign of Arendelle.

“Have you been stalking me? Grabbing intel on me?” Anna questioned in a playful manner. Elsa rolled her eyes, continuing to guide the Queen until the competitor had spotted pink ribbons tied to trees, a sign that she was nearing her destination.

The sound of water running softly echoed within the dark forest. Elsa felt the sovereign press closer to her body, the Queen wrapping her other arm around the competitor's, but still kept their hands intertwined.

“Is someone scared of the dark?” Elsa inquired, the sound of leaves crunching underneath their feet was also the only source of sound in the air.

“When will we get there?” Anna asked, the heavy foliage covering the sky above them, preventing the moonlight from showering onto the forest floor.

The competitor smiled, suppressing a small laugh as she continued to guide the sovereign through the forest. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Anna pouted; her hand that was intertwined with Elena’s tightened as she pressed herself closer to the girl. The competitor's scent of fresh snow and a light, vanilla infiltrated her nostrils. The redhead wouldn’t mind being engulfed in that scent each night.

Elsa continued speaking, hoping that her voice and touch would provide comfort to the younger girl. “We’re almost there.”

The two eventually arrived at a small clearing, and as they continued forwards towards the clearing, the sound of a waterfall echoed in the air. Suddenly, the heavy foliage above them had disappeared. The moon light shimmered down into the forest floor, the stars sparkling in the night sky as a small river was softly running ahead of them. To their right, the sound of a waterfall coming into impact against the water sounded.

Elsa turned so that she was fully facing the Queen, who still clung to her arm but was looking at the scenery in front of them in awe. Elsa’s blue eyes followed as the Queen’s teal ones swept the area.

“Wow.” Anna whispered softly. She couldn’t help but be in awe at how tranquil and peaceful the scenery looked - how the water glistened from the moonlight with the soft pitter patter of the waterfall, the river flowing so softly and the terrain that surrounded the river wasn’t crowded with any branches or leaves. Her teal eyes looked up and gasped at how prominent the stars shined in the sky due to the lack of light pollution from where they stood. 

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Elsa smiled, looking up at the sky to admire the stars.

“It is.” Anna murmured, her teal eyes quickly casting at the competitor. The Queen knew that her heart was playing deceiving tricks on her, but the young redhead couldn’t help it. She hasn’t felt this way in a while, and although Elena could pass as someone that had her heart before, Anna could pinpoint each difference between the two.

Elsa looked back down to see Anna looking straight at her, and the competitor herself couldn’t fight the light blush that decorated her pale cheeks. Anna smiled cheekily up at the competitor.

The blonde cleared her throat. “Come on, let’s sit by the bank.” Elsa guided the younger girl towards the bank. Anna still held on to the competitor’s arm as she escorted them towards the bank.

Elsa released her hold on Anna’s hand before bending down to roll up her tights and kick off her sandals. Anna followed in suite, kicking off her boots and rolling up her jeans.

The two were sitting on the bank of the river, their feet dipped into the cool, river water. Anna had her head leaned onto Elena’s shoulder and both her arms wrapped around Elena’s arm. As they admired the river and the trees ahead of them, the Queen couldn’t help but bask in the competitor’s scent and soft body. 

Eventually, Anna and Elsa had ended up laying down on the bank, Anna snuggled up against the competitor’s side while Elsa had her arm wrapped around the sovereign. The two looked up at the sky, admiring the starry night and the bright moon. 

The Queen looked from the stars back towards the competitor, gazing at the girl who seemed to have her mind wander elsewhere as she was also gazing up at the stars. Anna smiled softly at the sight before her. Who knew that the competition would be something that Anna actually looked forward to and enjoyed. The sovereign had dreaded the entire competition, understanding that the reason behind the entire event being held was to not only bring in reputation for Arendelle, but to also scope out for a potential Spymaster, Protector and ultimately, consorts for the Queen. Anna scorned upon the thought being brought up by her advisors, especially since her advisors knew that nobles and Princes would also be partaking in the competition. And yet, out of all the competitors, Anna was drawn to someone who didn’t have a title.

“What are you thinking about?” the competitor asked, her eyes still gazed up at the sky. Anna blinked her eyes, looking at Elena and was surprised on how the girl had deduced that she was thinking about something without looking at her.

“Just about the competition, that’s all.” Anna answered softly, her teal eyes still fixed onto Elena.

The competitor nodded her head, releasing a small sigh. “You still don’t want to tell me about what my escort mission will be about?’

Anna rolled her eyes. She had one arm draped across Elena’s abdomen while another was tucked underneath her chin. With the hand that was on Elena’s waist, Anna started drawing shapes with her forefinger. “I’m not allowed to tell you about the mission and give you an advantage.”

Elena pouted, and Anna thought it was the most adorable thing that she had ever witnessed before. “Not even for your favorite?’

Anna giggled, shaking her head and snuggling herself even further than possible into the blonde. “Not even for my favorite.”

“Ha!” Elena smiled. “So you admit that I’m your favorite?”

“If it wasn’t obvious before, I’m hoping it’s obvious now.”

“Good.” Elena stated. “Just so you know, you’re my favorite sovereign as well.”

Anna scoffed. “Who else would it be?”

“Well…” Elena started, feigning thought and pondering. “There’s Hercules, the King and Queen of the Kingdom of Corona, Princess Cecilia…”

At the mention of Princess Cecilia’s name, Anna froze, her body tense and her movements halted. Although, before her thoughts can wander to Elena and Princess Cecilia, the Queen felt the competitor pull her in closer, her arm securely around Anna’s waist as the Queen was positioned to be basically lying on half of Elena’s body. Anna’s ear was resting against Elena’s right chest and the sovereign was barely able to pick up a heartbeat. She felt Elena place a small kiss on her forehead.

“I’m just kidding. I would always pick you over any other sovereign, okay? That night with Princess Cecilia didn’t mean anything to me. You were the one that I wanted to spend time with that night.” Elena seemed to have read Anna’s mind before the sovereign even could, quickly assuaging the nerves that Anna didn’t realize she had until she felt herself breathe again.

“And to prove it…” Elena started, gingerly taking the hand that was tucked underneath Anna, which was now resting atop the right side of her chest, and brought the hand over towards her left side of her chest: right above her heart. The moment that Anna’s hand came into contact with the area, the first thing that came over the Queen was a small blush on her cheeks. She could feel the top of the competitor’s full breast, and although one side of her couldn’t help but want to wander her hand down further, the second side of her immediately felt the soft beats of Elena’s heart against her fingertips.

“You can feel my heart, can’t you? It has never beaten this fast before, not for a long while. Whenever I’m around you, my heart seems to beat faster than I’ve ever experienced, and it sometimes scares me. This feeling is so foreign to me.” Elena explained, keeping her hand on top of Anna’s.

Anna held her breath, feeling the heartbeat under her fingertips start to speed up. A small light of hope flared in Anna’s own chest at the thought of having the competitor show an interest in her. Although, Anna herself was confused as to why she had hope. The redhead herself didn’t even understand the feelings that she had for the blonde to the fullest extent.

Before the Queen could respond, the first droplets of water had splashed against her cheek. Slowly but steadily, more droplets of water continued to pour from the sky, eventually creating a drizzle. Elena swiftly acted by carefully sitting up, pulling the Queen into her embrace. Anna had her heart rapidly beat against her own chest now, feeling the warmth radiate from the competitor's body. At first, the Queen had thought that Elena had done this action to keep her warm but realized that wasn’t the case when she felt the black trench coat that was around her body quickly adjusted so that it helped prevent rain from soaking her from the neck below.

Elena was the one to act by grabbing the Queen’s hand and quickly guiding her out of the rain and back into town. Anna only snapped back into her senses when darkness had clouded her vision once more as they entered into the heavy foliage forest. The younger girl kept close to Elena, trying to follow her speed and footsteps while pressing her body against the blonde.

The two were able to find shelter once they had reached inside the premises of Arendelle. Elsa turned to the Queen and smiled apologetically at her. “It seems like this rain might not cease anytime soon.”

Anna nodded her head, hearing how the soft drizzle had eventually turned into an aggressive downpour.

“If you’re okay with it, we can keep going until we arrive at the castle?”

Anna sighed, looking ahead at the downpour before taking a glance at the competitor. Her lips curved in a frown when she noted how Elena was soaked from head to toe.

“You’re going to get a cold.” Anna softly whispered, reaching forward to tuck a stray, wet strand of platinum-blonde hair behind the competitor’s ear. Elsa’s icy blue eyes followed the Queen’s actions, watching as those teal eyes gingerly gazed at her, evaluating the competitor's current state. She watched as how those small, dainty and soft fingers barely brushed across her cheek when the younger girl had tucked the strand of hair.

“I’ll be fine.” Elena answered. The blonde wanted to grab onto that wrist, she wanted to lean into the Queen’s lingering touch on her cheek as Anna had briefly cradled her face with the palm of her hand, she wanted to grasp onto that hand and press a soft kiss on the Queen’s wrist.

Instead, Elsa only watched as Anna sighed and retracted her hand away from the competitor’s cheek.

“Come on, I want to get you back to the castle so you can be comfortable and warm there.” Elsa said, reaching forward to grasp onto Anna’s hand.

The sovereign accepted the gesture, her lips curving up in a small smile as the competitor had intertwined their hands. She barely resisted an ‘aw’ when Elena had asked if this was okay, to which Anna proceeded to reply with a nod of her head.

“Let’s go on the count of three, okay?” Elena suggested. Anna nodded her head.

Once Elena had counted down and reached to zero, the two immediately dashed out of their shelter and towards the castle. Their feet splashed against the puddles on the ground, but their laughter echoed within the pitter patter of the rain. 

Eventually, the pair crossed the bridge and arrived at the front entrance of the castle. Anna was out of breath, but a smile still decorated her face.

Elsa was reluctant to let go, but she did so in order to take a step back and smile at the younger girl.

“You should get in.”

Anna turned towards the competitor, seeing a smile that wasn’t the cocky or sad or chivalrous one, but one which was soft. That smile, which was accompanied by bright, shining eyes, was someone that Anna had concluded was her favorite look on the older girl.

Without thinking, Anna lunged herself forward, wrapping her arms around the older girl’s waist and placing her face into her top right shoulder. The scent of vanilla and snow was still prominent, even though they had just run in the pouring rain.

Elena laughed, wrapping her own arms around Anna’s shoulders and reciprocating the hug.

“Thank you.” Anna murmured.

“No problem.” Elsa whispered; her nose enveloped in the strawberry scent of Anna.

“Get back safely, okay?” Anna said, slightly pulling away to look up at the older girl.

“Of course.” Elsa answered. “I’ll see you in two days?”

Anna nodded her head nonchalantly. “Right, your mission tomorrow. Please be safe.”

“I’ll try.” Elsa answered with a smile before withdrawing her arms away from the Queen. Anna frowned at the absence of heat, but nonetheless, withdrew her own arms away from Elena’s waist.

“Goodnight, Your Majesty,” Elena smirked.

Anna laughed at Elena’s obvious attempt to rouse her. “Goodnight Elena, and good luck tomorrow.”

Elena’s smirk morphed into that of a soft smile, and with another bow, the blonde turned on her heel and dashed through the pouring rain, heading back to her inn.

As Anna watched her figure blur and fade in the rain, she couldn’t help but reminisce on the scent of Elena Snow.

* * *

Elsa yawned, stretching her body while sitting in the courtyard, waiting patiently for her team leader to arrive. The sun had yet to rise, but Hercules had told his team captain to meet him early in order to help prepare for the mission. It was really to only go through the general logistics of the mission as well as help grab some horses from the stables. Some of the Golden Pegasuses would travel by horse while others would travel by foot. Unfair sure, but it was required as part of an escort mission.

 _“We’ll just have them alternate on who gets to ride the horses.”_ Elsa recalls Hercules’s merry voice when she had questioned the entire situation.

She heard faint footsteps from the bridge. Elsa’s crystal, blue eyes turned towards the sound, barely making out her team leader trudging across the bridge and stepping foot onto the courtyard. His posture wasn’t straight as the man hunched over, obviously fatigued. He yawned, his blue eyes droopy and tired while he continued his pathing towards Elsa.

“Good morning.” Elsa greeted her team leader with a raise of an eyebrow.

Hercules shot the girl a tired glare. “The sun isn’t up so I don’t consider this morning.”

Elsa rolled her eyes at her team leader’s response. “So, let’s get started.”

“Shhh, lower your voice.” Hercules hushed.

“The remaining Golden Pegasuses will be here in half an hour.” Elsa stated blankly. 

“Yeah, yeah. Come on, off to the stables.” Hercules mumbled before guiding the way. Elsa followed behind the man, making sure it didn’t seem as if she knew where they were exactly going. 

Once they had reached the stables, there were about ten horses that would be available for mission usages. In the sky was Hercules’s horse that he has brought from his own kingdom. Although, Hercules’s horse was actually a Pegasus, one of the few that ever existed on this planet: the only Pegasus most people have seen would be Hercules’s. 

His Pegasus had a blue mane and a pure, white body. The Pegasus neighed as it saw Hercules, unchained and gliding throughout the sky freely.

Elsa looked up in awe. Sure, being a Sigil for the past five years had the young blonde see many things in life - from dragons like Hiccup’s night fury to giants, mermaids and gryphons. Yet, coming across Pegasuses were rare because they were becoming extinct.

“Come on Elena, let’s get those horses.” Hercules gestures towards the horses tied to the stables.

The competitor shook out of her trance and nodded her head, walking forward to help her team leader with leading the horses back to the courtyard.

Although, before she was able to grab the reigns, the sounds of a horse followed by its hooves stomping loudly in the stables echoed in the air.

Hercules, wide awake from the distressed sound of the horse, looked towards the stables. “Oh right, as team captain, you get to choose your own horse to use permanently throughout phase two of the competition. Unfortunately, Eric and Hans have already chosen because they went on missions first, but I’m sure that there are still an ample number of choices.”

Elsa saw Hercules make a hand motion before following her leader inside of the stables. Inside was a boy, no older than the age of fifteen, trying to calm down a pure, white horse in distress. When the stable boy turned his head, his eyes widened when he noticed the signature Golden cape that was draped across Elena’s shoulder, something which the blonde now had to wear at all times.

“O-o-oh hi! My apologies, King Hercules and Miss Snow. I wasn’t expecting you to be here so early.”

Hercules waved the boy off. “It’s no problem at all. If you wouldn’t mind, could you please give Elena the possible options she has in choosing a horse?”

The boy quickly nodded his head. “Of course!” He released hold of the pure, white horse, who only eyed the competitor wearing a mask.

“Right this way Miss Snow!” The boy said, guiding the pair to start at the end of the stables. They had reached a light brown horse with a white stripe in its mane. “This here is Rockefeller. He is a kind horse, very gentle and not so aggressive, but does have a ton of speed.”

The boy then pointed to the horse next to the brown one; it was a grey horse with white spots. “This here is Spot. He will definitely help charge in head on. Not as aggressive as his older brother, a horse which Prince Hans has already claimed, but nonetheless still helpful on the battlefield.”

As the trio jumped from horse to horse, Elena only eyed and looked at each horse, but never approached any. They eventually reached back to the front of the stables. The same white horse that had caused a ruckus earlier stomped on its hooves and started to neigh loudly.

The stableboy groaned. “Blizzard, what has gotten into you?” The boy approached the white horse and tried to calm it down, but the horse didn’t oblige to the boy’s attempts.

“Is this horse not available?” Hercules asked with a raised eyebrow, recalling how the stableboy had skipped over the horse.

The stableboy shook his head. “This horse here is probably the best that we have. He’s fast, intelligent, strategic and knows how to be aggressive. Although, every guard that has tried to ride and tame it has always failed. It seems that this horse hasn’t grown a liking to anyone - not even Sir Kristoff, Prince Hans or Sir Eric. The only people that this horse has grown a liking to is Queen Anna and Spymaster Kallum.”

“Does Spymaster Kallum not have a horse of his own? If I recall, didn’t he travel the lands with Dusk?” Hercules inquired.

“He does have a horse of his own and does only use Dusk. Blizzard here doesn’t bite off Spymaster Kallum’s hand, but nonetheless, not even the Spymaster can ride Blizzard.”

“Does Queen Anna ride this horse?” Hercules asked.

The boy shook his head again. “Queen Anna has her own horse, Nokk. Blizzard doesn’t allow anyone to ride him, but he does go out onto the fields when Queen Anna takes Nokk out.”

The horse continued to create a ruckus, struggling against the stableboy’s attempts to halt it from moving. Elena watched the interaction unfold with an amused look on her face.

“You seem to be having trouble there.” Hercules said, approaching the boy slowly and attempting to help him. Although, Hercules’s intervention only caused Blizzard to become much more aggressive.

Without a request from her team leader, Elsa walked forward towards the pair and the horse. The competitor placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, requesting for him to take a step back.

The boy looked at the competitor with wide, brown eyes. “Miss Snow, please don’t approach him! I can’t allow you to get hurt under my - “

Blizzard immediately calmed as Elena gently and slowly moved her hand forward, allowing the horse to sniff her hand. Eventually, Blizzard calmed his movements and ruckus and leaned into the competitor’s hand.

“What?...” the boy said in awe with a jaw dropped. 

“Is this horse available?” Elena asked, rubbing the top of the horse’s head.

The boy stuttered. “Y-yes, h-he is.”

“Great, I’ll choose him.” Elena decided.

Hercules watched the interaction between Blizzard and Elena unfold. “Are you sure about this, Elena?”

“Yep.” Elena hummed while Blizzard leaned much more into the competitor’s touch.

“Well, that settles it. Make sure to drape the copy of your Golden Cape across that horse to show that it’s the one you chose.”

Elsa nodded her head, taking out the third Golden cape that was given to her. Thanks to Hercules and Kallum, the second one that she had was given to Olaf, who was currently waiting in the forest for her team to exit the castle.

“Let’s get going Elena.” Hercules said, already at the exit of the stables. Elsa nodded her head, watching as the stableboy unhinged the lock and saw the horse move itself closer to the competitor. Elena laughed, wrapping her arms around the horse before petting him on his head.

“Good luck.” The stableboy said, still in shock at how someone was able to tame Blizzard. Elena nodded her head, making sure the saddle was on the pure, white horse before hopping onto him. The horse neighed softly and listened to Elena’s command to gallop out of the stables.

When she had arrived on the outside, Hercules was already on his Pegasus with the leads of five horses.

“Grab the other five will ya?”

Elsa nodded her head, guiding Blizzard towards the other horses to grab their remaining leads. The competitor followed her team leader as they strode back to the courtyard.

“So, what is this mission pertaining to?”

“We’re just leading someone to another town so that they could attend to some business. If all works out, we should be back by nightfall. Of course, the business may take longer so we may have to stay in that town overnight.”

Elsa raised her eyebrow. “I thought all our missions have to be the same length for it to be fair?”

Hercules chuckled. “Well, this is a special exception.”

“Who are we escorting?” Elsa asked as they arrived back at the courtyard. There were a few Golden Pegasuses lingering around, but they were definitely still tired from last night’s events.

“Well, our escort is here.” Hercules said, tilting his head to gesture in the direction of their escort.

Elsa’s eyes followed the direction that Hercules had tilted his head towards. Her eyes came into contact with teal ones that looked at her confidently. The owner of the teal eyes had a smirk plastered on her face.

“I’m sure you’ll do an exceptional job, Elena.” Hercules winked before snatching the leads from his captain’s hands. “Why don’t you go and talk to our escort to give them the rundown of how we will escort them.”

With that, Hercules galloped away smugly while Elena watched him go. The blonde turned her head back to Queen Anna to see her staring at the competitor with wide eyes, as if she was surprised to see something,

_Well, let’s see how this will go._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays and thank you again so much for taking the time and effort to read! :)


	29. Just for Tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year! Thanks again for your comments and your support - I always read through them and enjoy knowing that there are people that actually enjoy reading this and taking the time and effort for it!

_Anna giggled, clutching onto her baby horse, Nokk. The horse oddly had a light-blue shade of fur to it, but nonetheless, the uniqueness of Nokk made Anna love her horse much more._

_While the Princess was cradling her horse in her arms, an eight-year-old Elsa reached her hand forward towards a pure, white baby horse. The horse looked at the approaching hand, leaning forward to sniff._

_“What are you going to name your horse, Elsa?” A six-year-old Anna asked with bright eyes. The horse neighed with the Princess, her own eyes looking at the Protector and the white horse._

_“I’m not sure yet.” Elsa replied, watching as the white horse leaned its snout forward. Elsa slowly moved her hand up to caress the top of the horse’s head._

_“I think something related to winter would sound cool! Just because your last name is that, and winter is your favorite season.” Anna suggested._

_“How about Blizzard?” Elsa brought up. Nokk neighed in approval while Anna nodded her head rapidly._

_“That sounds like such a cool name!”_

_Elsa smiled, watching as the pure white horse only neighed against the younger girl’s ministrations._

_“Can we ride our horses together, Elsa? Pretty please?” Anna asked with puppy dog eyes._

_Elsa chuckled. “Sure, Anna. Anything for you.”_

* * *

Elena commanded Blizzard to gallop towards the Queen. The competitor and the white horse arrived in front of the Queen, who had just closed her agape mouth.

“Your Majesty, how was your morning?”

Anna mutely nodded her head. The answer only caused the competitor’s eyes to fill with worry.

“Is everything alright?”

Anna, physically watching how Elena’s face had morphed into concern, shook out of her trance and nodded her head.

“Yes, it’s just…” The sovereign started, hesitant about discussing what had worried her.

“Please don’t feel obligated in telling me if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“No, no. It’s just that no one has ever been able to tame Blizzard before. He never gave anyone the opportunity to have him.” Anna said softly.

Elena nodded her head. “Does it make you uncomfortable that I chose Blizzard? If so, I can always go back to the stables and request for a different horse?”

Anna shook her head, her lips curving up in a small smile. “No, it’ll be alright.”

“Very well.” Elena answered. “Would you be available right now for me to retrieve the details of your request to the escort mission, as well as what you should expect from the Golden Pegasuses?”

“Yes.” Anna feigned seriousness. “Please walk through what is expected.”

Elsa smiled at the young sovereign. “Alright, Your Majesty. We have ten horses in total and will be following an approach where you will be riding on your own horse, Nokk. We will make sure that you’re securely surrounded by other Golden Pegeasuses with Hercules in the front.”

“No carriages?” Anna asked with a raised eyebrow.

Elsa shook her head. “Through the terrain that we will be exploring, we thought that it would be best if you would ride your own horse. Carriages tend to be large and bulky, providing much more surface area that our team would have to protect. Furthermore, we thought it would be refreshing for you to have some open air for once, especially considering that you are under the service of Hercules’s Golden Pegasuses.”

Anna scoffed. “Of course, why am I not surprised?”

Elsa laughed with eyes closed and her head leaning back. Anna’s teal eyes watched the competitor laugh, and she couldn’t help but also add this look as one of the many favorite looks she had of the competitor.

“Would you be alright with that, Your Majesty? Or would you prefer being transported by carriage?”

Anna shook her head, her lips curving up slightly in a small smile. “No thank you, I trust in both your’s and Hercules’s judgement.”

“Very well.” Elsa turned around to face her team, noticing that all the Golden Pegasuses were now present in the courtyard. Nokk, Anna’s horse, had just been escorted into the courtyard. “Are there any requests you wish to have?” Elsa asked.

“No, there are no special requests.” Anna answered.

Elsa waved towards the Golden Pegasuses that were guiding Nokk into the courtyard. The two men rapidly nodded their heads before leading Nokk towards their team captain and the Queen.

Once the horse was dropped off, the two Pegasuses had left while Elsa turned towards Anna. “Would you need assistance, Your Majesty?”

The redhead looked away. “That is not needed.”

“I insist.” Elsa smiled, hopping off of Blizzard before extending a hand towards the Queen. Anna looked back at the girl, eyeing the hand with a timid look.

“Very well.” Anna said softly, reaching forward to accept that hand that was grasping onto hers throughout the entire previous night. At the mere touch, Anna felt small bolts of electricity run through her veins - bolts of electricity that was exhilarating and addicting, just like the girl in front of her.

The blonde girl guided the Queen to Nokk, who only looked at the pair questioningly before allowing the competitor to help the sovereign mount her. When the Queen was securely on Nokk, Elena bowed, causing Anna to feel a slight heat rise to her cheeks.

“Well, Your Majesty.” Elsa hopped back onto Blizzard. “Please follow me so that I can securely place you in our formation before we head out.”

Anna looked back at the courtyard to notice the Golden Pegasuses already in their formation of a square; Anna assumed that she would be right in the middle. There were three horses in front and back, one on each side and two behind the circle. Hercules was at the front, commanding his team about what was expected out of them.

Anna and Nokk followed as Elena and Blizzard guided them towards the formation. Once Anna was surrounded by the Golden Pegasuses, she noted how the corners of the square had competitors who wielded bows. The remaining competitors all held their own weapons that required melee combat. 

“Please let me know if there’s any accommodations you would like for us to make, Your Majesty. I will be your point of contact and will trail in the back of the entire team. All you need to do is wave for me.”

“Alright, thank you Elena.”

Elsa smiled softly. “It is not a problem at all. Let’s get going, shall we?”

With that, Anna watched as Elena and Blizzard galloped to the back of the squad. From there, Hercules led the team on the path towards the city over.

Anna and Hercules knew what would come on the way towards the city. This entire expedition was a mock mission after all; it was just convenient that Anna needed to do a business meeting in the city over. Both the sovereign and the leader of the Golden Pegasuses knew about the ‘ambush’ that would await the party when they would be about halfway towards their destination.

And so, the mock battle had ensued as they were halfway through the journey towards their destination. About two and a half hours had passed before it seemed that Blizzard had neighed loudly, followed by a horse’s gallop and the sound of metal cutting wood. All Golden Pegasuses turned towards the sound, seeing their team captain’s sword held high, her blue eyes hardened as a split arrow was at Blizzard’s feet.

“This is an ambush, team. Tighten the formation around the Queen. Archers, shoot if you hear a sound, regardless of where.” Elsa commanded. The Golden Pegasuses followed the command of their captain; the members that surrounded the Queen had tightened their formation, making sure that her safety was their number one priority.

Hercules nodded his head discreetly in approval at his team captain’s command, as well as how the other competitors were following the captain’s directions.

Those on ground withdrew their weapons, whether it be sword, axe, spear or dagger.

“Group B, tighten around the formation and make sure that no one gets hurt. Group A, you will be on offense.” Elsa commanded.

“And what shall I do, captain?” Hercules asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

“Are you allowed to do anything?” Elsa asked, turning her head towards her team leader. The man only laughed, shaking his head.

“I’ll just make sure you guys don’t get out of hand. No fatal wounds, please. This is a mock ambush, after all.”

Elsa scoffed before turning around, raising her weapon high with her right hand but having her left hand shoved into the pouch on her belt. Her blue eyes scanned the forest trees that surrounded them.

Another whoosh sounded through the air and one of the men that were in Group B had sliced the arrow with their axe. One of the archers shot towards the sound of rustling bushes.

The sound of a clink was heard when an arrow had entered the bush. A man shot up, clad in heavy armor with hands up.

“I’m out! Please don’t shoot.”

Hercules laughed. “Right, I forgot to tell you guys. These men are heavily armored just for their safety, so if you do hit them, hopefully they won’t get anything worse than a bruise. They will determine once they feel like they would be ‘dead’ based on the wounds you inflict on them. Just know that they will show no mercy on you.”

With that, a flurry of arrows came from the left side of the formation. Elsa quickly turned to throw her daggers strategically so that it flew past her teammates and Anna, clashing against some of the oncoming arrows. Group B deflected all the arrows while the archers continued to shoot.

“Group A, formation X.” Elsa commanded. The men that were on the offense nodded their heads, splitting into four groups assigned to each corner.

“Attack Duo.” Elsa proceeded to command. The competitors paired off together within their groups before they proceeded to slowly and steadily approach the trees and bushes. Meanwhile, Olaf, wearing his golden cape, growled and snarled at the rustling bushes.

“Olaf, stay by the Queen’s side.”

The wolf, hearing its master’s command, quickly hurried towards the Queen’s side. The wolf had his back hunched, his teeth baring as a low growl continued to escape his throat.

Elsa hopped off of Blizzard, and the horse only neighed at the competitor’s action. The blonde patted the horse on the head. “I’ll be right back. Protect the Queen.”

With that, Elsa turned on her heel and sprinted towards the right side of the forest.

At the action of their captain, the groups and the pairs within the groups dispersed into the forest as well. Anna sat, watching as Group B and those who had surrounded her kept their guard high, blocking certain arrows that were coming their way.

The sound of metal clashing against metal sounded within the forest. Although, some men had run through the forest and approached them, mostly from the left side. The men of Group B blocked and deflected each one of their attacks, their weapons clashing against the metal of the enemy’s armor, causing the enemy to raise their hands in defeat.

Suddenly, all went silent within the forest. Hercules shook his head, laughing as he watched the men from the right-side approach back to the formation, their eyes still wide in shock at what they had witnessed, but none of them had any wounds on their bodies.

The men on the left side approached back into the formation with Elena following behind, her eyes rapidly blinking as a softness started to approach back into those eyes.

Hercules clapped his hands, releasing a small laughter of joy. “Good job, Pegasuses.”

Elsa walked towards Blizzard and mounted the horse. “Indeed, good job team.”

“Shall we continue, captain?’ Hercules asked, more so out of courtesy.

“Yes, let’s carry on.” Elsa said, turning her eyes towards Anna, who only looked at her with a look of confusion. Elena smiled at the sovereign before turning her attention forward.

“That was quick.” Hercules mumbled before he led his team forward.

* * *

The party arrived in the city around noon, where the Queen bowed her head, thanking them for the escort before heading for her meeting. The Golden Pegasuses decide to scope out a restaurant that they could grab lunch at. Laughter and joy filled the room as the competitors interacted with one another, discussing their easy win in the mock ambush.

Elena sat around the circle with her teammates, laughing alongside the men who had applauded her.

“If I were to ever go against Elena, I don’t think I would even live for a second.” One man shivered.

“Half a second at best.” Another chimed in.

Elena chuckled, scratching the back of her head. “You guys give me too much credit.”

Another man spoke within the circle. “We don’t give you enough credit, captain!”

“Thank you.” Elena said sheepishly. Before anyone else could speak, the sound of a door chiming had echoed in the air, followed by heavy steps approaching them.

All eyes turned to meet their tired team leader, running a hand through his face.

“What’s up leader?” One of the men had asked.

Hercules shook his head. “Nothing. We will be staying the night in this city. It seems that the Queen has come across some troubles when dealing with her business meeting here.” Hercules glanced at the clock to see that it was only three p.m. “I have your room keys for the inn we will be staying in for the night.”

“So, does that mean we can party tonight?” One of the men spoke up. Elsa rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her drink. _Of course, all these men were Golden Pegasuses after all. They can’t stand mornings, but love the night life, just like their leader._

“It does sound appealing.” Hercules hummed. “But be wary that we also have to escort the Queen back to Arendelle first thing in the morning.”

“Fine by me.” One of the men chimed.

“Very well.” Hercules withdrew a bag that no one noticed that he seemed to be holding. “These are the keys to the rooms to the inn. The inn is about a few blocks from here, so please don’t lose them.” The leader walked over to a table to place the bag on top of it, the sound of metal clinking within the bag. “A word, Elena.” His eyes never made contact with his team captain.

A sound of ‘oohs’ echoed within the air. Elena stood up from her seat, shooting a look at the Golden Pegasuses, who only replied with snickers as the captain held her head high and followed the team leader out of the restaurant.

When she reached the outside of the restaurant, Hercules was extending his hand out, a key on his open palm.

“What’s this?” The competitor asked.

“This is your key to your room.” Elsa looked at the key with her head tilted to the side. She reached forward, grasping onto the key and accepting it.

Hercules retreated his hand back. “Your room will be right next to Anna’s. Because we’re staying overnight, we need to make sure that her safety is our number one priority. Your room is on the top floor, right next to hers. All the other Golden Pegasuses will have rooms below.”

“Where’s your room?”

“I will be among the Golden Pegasuses.” Hercules chuckled. “I would hope that you can keep her well protected while I make sure that no threats arise to the top.”

Elena clutched onto the key in the palm of her hand. “I’ll make sure to always keep her safe.”

Hercules only chuckled, without understanding the extremity behind those words. If Kallum had heard this, the Spymaster would fully understand the meaning behind those words. Instead, Hercules placed a hand on his captain’s shoulder. “Good. Well, the Queen will have to have dinner with those she’s meeting up with, but she’ll join us once the meeting is over.”

“Is that all?” Elsa asked with a head tilt.

“Yep.” Hercules proceeded to wrap an arm around the younger girl’s shoulder. “Let’s proceed to seeing our team, shall we?”

With that, the team leader led his captain back into the restaurant, where the party only looked at the pair before welcoming them into their conversation. The remainder of the day was filled with laughter and light-hearted jokes as the Golden Pegasuses started bonding over the tiniest things. From how they thought that one of the advisor’s hair was clearly and obviously a wig to their own past, all of the Golden Pegasus laughed with one another. All but Elena had shared her past, who only gave a vague and brief explanation in the case that there would be someone who would look into her actual past. 

Their conversation poured into the night. The Golden Pegasuses had to leave the restaurant that they were currently in, moving towards a bar that was able to hold all of them. The party continued on with their conversations, laughing, drinking and eating in celebration of their mock ambush victory.

The Queen had eventually finished her meeting, joining the party at the bar that they decided to celebrate in. Hercules was already well into his fifth ale, laughing alongside his team. Anna sat on the side, softly, and somewhat awkwardly, laughing on the side with a cup of water. The young sovereign had already eaten with those that she had met with, wrapping up her meeting with them in good favor, and as a result, ate dinner with them as a celebration to closing the deal.

Anna’s turquoise gems flitted across the landscape, and they couldn’t help but be locked onto a tall, slim girl wearing a white long-sleeve with platinum-blonde hair flowing effortlessly down her back. She couldn’t help but study the modest but sociable girl listening on and on about a story that her teammate was telling her in their drunken state.

Her eyes locked onto studying the captain the entire time, unable to lift her eyes off of the girl. To say that Anna was enraptured would be an understatement - she was drawn to the competitor as if a moth was drawn to a light, as if the waves were always drawn to the shore. The thought of the waves and a shore brought a smile to the redhead’s face as she thought back to her escapade with Elena on the beach after the meeting with the captains and the leaders.

“I see someone seems enraptured by her.” A mysterious, male voice spoke next to Anna.

The sovereign turned her head, expecting it to be one of the Golden Pegasuses, but instead was met with cobalt blue eyes and pure white hair that compared to that of snow. The man had very white, pale skin, possibly paler than Elena and anyone else that Anna has ever seen in her life. He wore a light-beige tunic that was underneath a brown-leather vest, barely visible since a brown cloak that seemed to have some softness to it, probably made of a small animal’s fur, had covered his entire body from the shoulder down to his waist. His light-brown jeans seemed to cling onto him as a second skin.

“I…” Anna started, a small flush reaching her cheeks.

The man chuckled. “I’m just teasing, apologies.” The man looked back at the competitor, who continued to listen on and on to the stories that the Golden Pegasuses surrounding her were sharing. “She is breathtaking though; I don’t blame you for having eyes on her.”

Anna frowned. She had to admit that anyone who didn’t see Elena as beautiful was blind, but a small hint of possessiveness seemed to shadow the Queen.

“Don’t worry, I’m not interested.” The man clearly read her with a laugh. “If anything, she’s not my type. Besides, if I were to be acquainted with her, I would see her more so as a friend, maybe even a sister.”

Anna released a sigh that she didn’t even know that she was holding. She kept her gaze on the competitor, a small smile reaching her lips.

“You know her?” The man asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

“Sort of.” Anna barely whispered out.

“This seems like something familiar that I have witnessed before.” The man’s taunting voice came into play.

“Such as?” Anna asked.

The man hummed. “I would say that I’m seeing love.”

Anna’s teal eyes widened, and the girl immediately turned towards the man, giving him her full attention. Her eyes narrowed at the man in front of her, who was only giving her a sheepish smile.

“Excuse me?”

The man smiled at the girl. “I’m just saying what I’m seeing.” He leaned back against the back of the barstool chair he was sitting on. “No need to get so stressed, relax.”

“What has your relationship with her been like?” the man asked.

Anna continued to focus on the man, her eyebrow raised. “Why should I tell you?” She quickly retaliated.

The man shrugged his shoulders. “I’m just curious, that’s all. You don’t just give that look to anyone.”

Anna crossed her arms, getting defensive. “And what would that look be?”

“You know, that smoldering look.” The man said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the universe.

Anna released a small huff of breath. “I’m not going to entertain some stranger about my personal affairs.”

Her answer caused the man to only raise his head a bit more in curiosity. “Has she done anything bad?”

“Far from it.” The Queen barely mumbled, although, the man only needed that answer. He smiled, standing up from the bar stool before taking a bow.

“Alright, I’ll leave you to it.”

The man turned on his heel, walking away from the Queen who only followed him with her eyes. The moment that the man had exited out of the bar, Anna felt a presence next to her. The girl turned towards the presence, being met with piercing, crystal blue eyes and a tilt of a head that made the sovereign coo internally.

“Everything alright, Your Majesty?” The velvety, smooth voice of Elena blessed Anna’s ears, sending a small shiver of delight down her spine.

“Yes, it is.” Anna replied softly, her teal eyes never breaking from the icy, blue ones. “ _Especially now that you’re here.”_ Anna thought but never voiced.

“Alright.” Elena turned her full attention towards the Queen. “Have you been enjoying your night so far?”

“It has been alright.” Anna answered. The redhead reached over towards her cup to take another sip of her water.

“Just alright?” Elena took a swig of her own drink.

“I’ve been to this city on multiple occasions, especially as of recent in order to prepare and negotiate the deal that I had just sealed. I’ve mostly done everything that I can in this town.”

“I see.” Elena dragged on. “Well, if you would want to - “the competitor started. Anna’s heart started accelerating, wondering if the competitor was going to sweep her off of her feet to take her elsewhere. Unfortunately, before Elena could finish her sentence, a couple of rowdy Golden Pegasuses, who seemed to have one too many drinks, approached the Queen and their team captain.

One of the Golden Pegasuses immediately placed a rough arm around their team captain, a cheeky but lopsided smile on their face.

“Caaaptain!” the other man addressed with a grin. “Comeeee and drrrrink moreee with us! We were juuuust going to teeeellll a storrry to everyone! Come, come!”

The man that had his arm around the blonde placed it on her upper arm. The other man placed his hand on Elena’s other arm before dragging her towards the table of rowdy Golden Pegasuses, with Hercules in the center of it all, finishing his tenth drink with a burp.

“Sorry!” Elena exclaimed with a sympathetic smile as she was being dragged away.

“No problem! Have fun!” Anna yelled with a wave, watching as the captain of the Golden Pegasuses was taken away.

The Queen released a small huff. Was she frustrated? No, why would she be frustrated? Just because she wanted Elena’s time and attention? Preposterous… but was it bad? Was it bad that Anna wanted, even yearned, and enjoyed the attention she would receive from Elena? From her charming and chivalrous smiles to her adorable head tilts and thoughtful touches, Anna enjoyed every single thing about the girl.

It was pathetic really. She was _the_ Queen of Arendelle. She was sought out by so many suitors, so many merchants, nobles, princes and kings, who could spoil her with anything, who could court her with all that they can, who could give her all the time of their day instantly. She could have gotten anyone that would have praised and adored her the moment that they met, but instead, she wanted the attention of Elena. She wanted the attention of the competitor who didn’t have the entire world to give her, who didn’t necessarily have all the time of their day to dedicate to her, who didn’t even bat an eyelash to her when they had first met, treating her as an ordinary person even after she was unveiled as the Queen of Arendelle.

 _“Maybe I need some rest, it’s been a long day after all.”_ Anna yawned, answering her thought. The Queen stretched her body, her eyes looking over to the large circle that contained most of the Golden Pegasuses. She saw the men laugh along with their team leader and team captain, the former patting the captain roughly on the back as she finished her cup of ale. The captain pulled away her mug, laughing softly as one of the men had seemed to share a joke with her.

Her gaze had coincidentally met Hercules’s in that moment, who only looked at her with furrowed eyebrows before he stood up from his seat. The leader mumbled something to his teammates, who didn’t even bat an eyelash, before making his way towards the Queen.

Once Hercules stood in front of Anna, the man crossed his arms with a raised eyebrow. “Everything alright, Anna?”

Of course Hercules would check up on her - even though the man had always gotten onto the girl’s nerves through their bickering, he was always seen as a brother to her. The younger of the two nodded her head, stretching her body before standing up. “I’m actually getting very tired.”

“Rough meetings?” He uncrossed his arms and pulled the chair out, giving the sovereign more space to walk out of her seat.

“Something like that.” Anna muttered.

“Here, let me escort you to your room.” Hercules started, but Anna shook her head instantly. 

“No, it’s alright. I don’t want to take you away from your team.” Her eyes looked back at the large circle, noting how Elena was chugging a drink against another competitor, who was struggling to keep up with the captain. The captain slammed her drink down, reaching for a napkin to elegantly dab her lips.

The crowd cheered while the man slammed his drink down, the cup still halfway full.

Hercules smirked. “Or is it that you would want someone else to escort you? I can always ask Elena to do so.”

Anna’s soft gaze quickly hardened as she turned to the leader of the Golden Pegasuses, glaring at her with hardened eyes. “Shut up.”

Hercules laughed boisterously, raising his hands. “Okay, okay. At least let me guide you back to your room so that I can ensure that you’re safely there.”

“I don’t want to trouble you.” Anna sighed. “You seem to be having so much fun with your team.”

Hercules waved his hand. “They can wait. They probably won’t notice that I will be gone for a bit anyways.”

“Fine, fine.” Anna muttered. She wouldn’t mind the company back to their inn, especially during this time of night.

“Alright!” Hercules slapped his hands together. “Let’s get going.”

* * *

Hercules walked back to the bar, entering it to see that most of his team was still gathered around in a circle, the seat next to his team captain still vacant. With a smile, the man marched towards the group and claimed his rightful seat.

“Where were you?” He knew that out of all people that would notice his absence, it would be his own captain. The girl was too observant, even with the copious amount of alcohol that she had consumed.

“I had to take the Queen back to her room.” He whispered, watching as one of the waitresses placed a full mug of ale in front of him.

A look of concern washed over Elena’s face. “Is she alright?”

Hercules waved his hand off, a gesture to tell the girl to calm down. “She’s alright - she’s just tired, that’s all.”

“Oh.” Her voice seemed to waver, and her eyes seemed to have stared off into the distance.

“In fact, I think you have to go back to your room to make sure that she’s safe.” His statement caused the captain to immediately turn to him, her head cocked to the side in confusion.

“Why do I have to?”

“You’re team captain. You have much more responsibility, remember?” Hercules said smugly.

“Really leader? Does she have to go?” One of the men asked, clearly listening onto their conversation.

“Yeah, does she? The night is just getting started!” Another chimed in.

Hercules shook his head, taking a swig of his ale. “Team captain has much more responsibilities.” The man turned his head to send Elena a subtle wink.

Elena only blinked at his gesture, confused as to why he would wink at her. She didn’t get it. “Why did you wink?”

Hercules paled at his captain’s bluntness before taking a huge gulp of his ale. Once he finished his drink, he waved his hand in the air. “You should get going, Elena.”

“Alright.” The captain stood up, hearing the groans and boos from her teammates. “Leaders orders.” Elena sympathetically smiled at those who frowned at her departure. 

“See ya in the morning captain!” one of the men had yelled as Elena had exited out of the bar.

When the blonde stepped foot outside of the bar, she noticed the bustling streets of the town that they were currently in. People were still coming and going, but it seemed that they were mostly coming from work.

Elena turned on her heel, walking towards the inn that Hercules had mentioned they would be staying at for the night. Once she arrived at the front, she saw two men, looking down at her and requesting for her key, which she provided as proof that she had reserved a night at the inn. When she entered the lobby, she saw a young man, most likely a worker, standing at the front desk. The competitor turned on her heel and made her way up the multitudinous flights of steps, up until she reached the eighth floor.

The hallway was well-lit, and according to Hercules, there shouldn’t be anyone else staying in the rooms on this floor except for the Queen and herself. Although, what made Elsa frown was the lack of wolf in the hallway.

 _That’s odd._ The competitor started walking down the hall. _Olaf should be here by now._ She reached the second to the last door from the end of the hall. She was told that Anna would be at the door at the end of the hall, preventing anyone from being able to get to the Queen’s room without passing the competitor.

The Sigil stuck in her key silently and quietly turned her doorknob, being careful not to make a single sound in fear that she could possibly wake up the tired Queen. From what she had been told by Hercules, Anna had retreated back to her room early due to much fatigue and tiredness. When Elsa carefully opened the door without causing a squeak, she heard the faint sound of panting. 

Looking up, she saw Olaf sitting in front of a man that sat at her bed, petting the wolf on the top of his head. The man had light-brown jeans, pure, white snow hair and sapphire blue eyes. His entire top was covered by some sort of cloak made out of the fur of a short-haired brown animal.

“Took you long enough.” The man chuckled, continuing to pet Olaf, who was soaking in all the attention.

Elsa turned to quickly close the door before striding her way towards the two. Olaf, noticing his partner’s approach, immediately withdrew from the man before asking for pets from Elsa. The blonde laughed, sitting next to the man on the bed before giving her partner the attention he demanded.

“Why are you here, Jack?” Elsa asked. Olaf purred into Elsa’s touch, leaning his head onto the competitor’s lap.

“Just wanted to check up on the progress of your mission, that’s all.” He said, placing his hands behind him and leaning back.

“You know that I always get my missions done successfully… except for that one instance.”

Jack shook his head. “I know that you always get your missions done, period. Besides, I was here just to make sure that you have been sending in your weekly reports and to give you some intel about what is to come from the competition.”

“It’s only been one and a half weeks, Jack. Did you not receive last week’s report?”

“I did.” Jack chuckled. “You sent it as protocol. I just wanted to get this report in person.”

“You don’t have any better things to do?” Elsa kept rubbing behind Olaf’s ears.

“Well, I figured that this town was on the way back to the Kingdom, so I might as well stop by to also get the report in person.”

Elsa nodded her head, looking down at Olaf to note that the small rose made of ice was still attached to his ice-like collar. The Sigil reached for the rose, easily slipping it out of the collar around Olaf’s neck and watching as the collar disintegrated. Closing her first around the rose, Elsa’s hand started glowing a light blue before she opened her hand, revealing a piece of paper that was folded into four.

The Sigil handed it to Jack, who only watched in awe at how the piece of ice had turned into a note. “Is that how you have been delivering the reports?”

Elsa proceeded to pat Olaf’s head once again. “Yeah. Olaf goes out every night for fresh air and to prowl the forest, but it would also make it less suspicious when he needs to drop off these notes to one of Aladdin’s animals.”

Jack took the note and securely placed it in his pocket. “Smart.” The Spymaster of SIlva praised.

“Thanks.” Elsa watched as Olaf hopped onto the bed to lay on it, securely placing his head onto the Sigil’s lap. “What did you have to tell me in regard to my mission?”

“Very you to get to the point.” Jack said amusingly. “Well, there should be two more phases after this one that you would have to go through. I’m just concerned about how your performance would be like in the third phase, but after talking to the Queen herself,” Jack paused, watching as his teammate’s eyes narrowed under her mask. The man couldn’t help but release a small chuckle. “I think you will perform well in the third phase.”

“What does the third phase pertain to?” Elsa’s hand started to move from Olaf’s head down to rub his back.

“You’ll be staying in the castle with a select amount of people that make it through phase two. From there, you will be judged based on social aspects and measurements throughout phase three.”

“I’m assuming the social aspects are what concern you?” Elsa asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, you’re not the warmest person.” Jack started.

“I get it, I get it.” Elsa grumbled. “But even with social aspects in my past missions, I’ve never failed them now have I?”

“That you haven’t.” Jack agreed. “I just wanted to give you a fair warning.” He stood up from his spot.

“Thanks for the warning.” Elsa stopped petting Olaf when she noticed the leader of the Sigils standing. “Leaving so soon?”

“The longer I stay here, the more suspicious it will seem. Besides,” He walked towards the door. “I will be around this area until you reach the halfway point to Arendelle.”

“Is there a threat?” Elsa’s eyes narrowed. Jack only shrugged his shoulders.

“Not that I’m aware of, but also, better safe than sorry, right?”

Elsa nodded her head. “Right.”

Jack placed his hand on the doorknob. “Good luck, _Elena._ I’m sure you’ll do great during the remainder of the competition.”

With that, the leader of the Sigils opened the door and exited out of the inn.

Elsa assumed that Jack had used his power of illusions to get into the inn, especially considering that this was one of the more secure inns.

Elsa kicked off her shoes, gently moving Olaf’s head and laying back onto her bed. The competitor looked up at the ceiling, wondering what Anna was doing right now. _She’s most likely sleeping, I would assume. According to Hercules, she seemed to immediately go to her bed and lay down. She must have been so exhausted._

Olaf settled himself on the foot of the bed, curling up in a ball before slowly drifting off to sleep.

Elsa also felt her eyelids become heavy. She was drifting in and out of consciousness until she heard soft whimpers and cries from next door. Her eyes widened immediately as the Sigil sat up, quickly hopping off of the bed and grabbing her sword on the way out of her room before turning to her left to face the Queen’s door.

* * *

_“Why did she choose not to come back?”_

_His taunting words haunted Anna as she found herself in a dark, cold familiar room. The bed was properly made, the black trench coat wrapped around the usual chair that was right next to the desk in the corner of the room._

“ _Why would she abandon her position here?”_

_Her mind flashed through all of the memories that she had shared with a particular, blonde-haired girl. From when they were five, gazing up at the meteor showers with a blanket wrapped around the both of them, to the older girl holding her as they gazed at the starry night at the top of a hill that overlooked the city lights of Arendelle._

_“Why would she abandon you?”_

_The idea of Elsa being the Ice Queen flashed in her mind. Her childhood best friend, her old Protector, her soulmate, wearing that mask with a black hood covering her face, a cloak covering her body with the Arendelle Sigil on the back of it and midnight black epaulettes on her shoulders decorated with the classic, rainbow jewel._

_The Sigil had her back faced to her, giving Anna only the view of the flower of Arendelle on her back. The woman in front of her held her snowflake, guard sword, the blue tint tainted with blood as thousands of bodies laid ahead of her on a snow-covered field. The image itself sent shivers down Anna’s back as she reached a shaking hand forward._

_“Elsa, please.” She reached her shaking hand forward, not realizing how cold she had felt. The Sigil turned her head, and Anna saw that the mask which Sigils would usually wear was off, but the sight before her had scared the sovereign._

_Elsa stood there, her blue eyes cold, dark and dull. Her irises met with Anna’s and the Sigil turned back around. A scoff emitted from her lover in front of her._

_“What do you want?” Her voice emitted no emotion. It was distant, lowly harsh, and pained the redhead._

_“Please… I need you.” Another shiver went down Anna’s spine. From the temperature drop or from the Sigil, she wasn’t exactly sure._

_“The thing is, I don’t need you.” Her harsh voice rung through Anna’s ears. “You are truly pathetic, you know that right? Chasing after silly, childhood promises. There’s a reason why I never came back.”_

_“E-Elsa…” Anna’s voice was weak, her bottom lip quivering as her eyes started to water._

_“I never loved you, if you wanted to know. You were such a pain and thorn to my side that I didn’t realize I was much more capable until I left. Can’t you see my power?” The Sigil pointed her sword towards the plethora of lifeless bodies, bleeding onto the snow. “And this is only the beginning of my power.”_

_The snow around them started picking up, a snowstorm slowly ascending into a blizzard._

_“Elsa!” Anna cried, her eyes squinting as she watched the woman in front of her disappear within the blizzard._

Anna shot up in her bed in a cold sweat, hearing the faint sounds of rapid knocks against her door. The Queen quickly looked outside, seeing that they were still well into the night. Although, the incessant knocking didn’t cease, and so, Anna got up to quickly answer the door.

The moment she stood in front of the door and swung it open, she saw Elena standing in front of her, snowflake mask still on with hand raised as if she was halfway through a knock. The competitor pulled her hand away before her eyes washed with this look of concern.

“Is everything alright, Anna?”

The Queen smiled softly at the girl in front of her, noting her soft, concerning crystal blue eyes that hid behind that mask, her golden cape that was draped across her right shoulder and her snowflake-guard sword hilted to her belt. 

“I’m fine.” The sovereign answered.

“Are you sure?” The competitor reached her hand forward, as if she wanted to reach for the younger girl’s face, but she immediately pulled back. “It’s just… you’re crying.”

Anna didn’t realize that she still had the residue of tears from her nightmare on her cheeks. The redhead swiftly brought her hand up to wipe away the tears. “I’m alright.”

Through the process of wiping her tears, the younger of the two witnessed as Elena frowned at her answer.

“I heard crying and I was concerned for your safety.”

“It’s nothing, Elena. Nothing you need to worry about.” Anna lied. “You should get back to your team. It seems that you guys are having a great time.”

Elena shook her head. “No, I think I’ve been drained of socializing with them for now. They are a rambunctious bunch. Besides, my main priority is to make sure that nothing happens to you.”

Anna offered the girl a smile, one which she didn’t notice herself was a somber one. _“I wish you could protect me from my nightmares.”_

Elena, as perceptive as ever, noticed the sad smile. The competitor sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

“Please, Anna, is there anything I can do to help?” The distress was clear in the competitor’s eyes, and it brought Anna back to her recent nightmare that she woke up from. She was brought back to the coldness of Elsa’s eyes, the way her eyes were cold and distant, the way that she ruthlessly and mercilessly took thousands of lives. 

The thought only caused the Queen’s eyes to well with uncontrolled tears. The mere glistening of those teal eyes caused Elena to immediately step forward, cautiously reaching forward to place her arms around the Queen’s shoulders and immediately pull her into a hug.

Instinctively, Anna buried her face into the crook of the girl’s neck, wrapping her own arms around Elena’s waist and basking in her vanilla-snow scent. It was comforting and didn’t smell of blood, as her nightmares always did.

The competitor stood, keeping her arms wrapped around the shorter girl, providing her warmth and comfort through her touch but without saying anything. What was she supposed to say? She didn’t know why Anna was upset, but she knew that she needed to be there for her to comfort her.

“Can you just stay with me, please?” Anna mumbled; her body started to shake as her mind kept wandering back to her nightmares. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for these nightmares to always haunt Anna. This was one of her main nightmares that she had, especially the recent one occurring when Kallum had visited Arendelle the day her parents passed.

“Of course.” Elsa whispered softly, planting a small but innocent kiss on the side of Anna’s head. The older girl felt the Queen’s hold on her tighten, and all Elsa could do was continue holding the redhead.

“Do you want to lay down?” Elsa asked, her hands that were wrapped around the Queen’s shoulders started rubbing soothing circles on her back.

A single nod against her shoulder was all Elsa needed as an answer. Slowly but steadily, the competitor waddled the two over towards the bed which Anna had tossed and turned in only minutes ago. It took them a while, considering that Elsa had to steadily shuffle them towards the bed at whatever pace the younger girl had preferred.

Eventually, the competitor laid the younger girl down onto the bed, being pulled so that the Queen could proceed to place her head against the competitor’s shoulder, her face against her neck where her breath had tickled against Elena’s skin. Anna’s arms wrapped around Elena’s waist.

The platinum-blonde woman wrapped her arms around Anna’s waist so that her left arm was right under the Queen’s head. She laid still on her back, keeping close to the Queen as the, once intense, trembles had slowly calmed after an hour had passed.

“Please stay with me, just for tonight.” Anna whispered into the silent night, her hold against Elena still firm.

“Ok.” Elsa breathily whispered back.

The two laid in each other's arms. Elsa made sure to stay awake, even as her eyes became droopy throughout the entire time, until she felt Anna’s shallow breath against her neck. The Sigil refused to sleep until she knew that the girl in her arms was asleep, and once that was confirmed after Elsa had whispered her name, the competitor felt sleep overcome her as well.

And for once in a long time, the nightmares didn’t haunt Anna that night.


	30. Hesitating Fear

_Anna stood in an open grass-filled field, the sunlight glistening on the field before her as the wind caressed the grass. Anna’s teal eyes scanned the environment, admiring the chirping birds and the flowers scattered about._

_She was still hesitant about it all, nonetheless. Usually, these dreams would slowly morph into a barren wasteland of snow. She was ready to see it, followed by a war happening and a single individual with a blood-tainted sword._

_Instead, she saw the back of a girl with platinum-blonde hair flowing down her back. The girl in front of her wore a white long-sleeve and light-blue tights. Her sword, with the snowflake guard, was hilted against her belt while a golden cape was draped across her left shoulder._

_“Elena?” Anna softly whispered._

_The girl turned around quickly at the mention of her name. Her icy, blue eyes shined brightly under the sunlight, her black, snowflake mask being the only dark shade in the entire canvas before Anna._

_The competitor’s lips quirked up in a smile. “Yes?”_

_Anna’s face morphed into confusion, her eyebrows furrowing as she bit down softly at the bottom of her lip. The change in demeanor caused the competitor in front of her to tilt her head to the side in confusion._

_“Is everything alright?” Elena started to take a step forward, a hand reaching out, but her action had caused Anna to flinch. The blonde froze in her tracks, her hand falling to the side as her blue eyes looked to the ground._

_“Are you afraid of me because I’m a mercenary?”_

_Anna watched as those eyes saddened, and it immediately snapped the redhead out of her trance. The Queen proceeded to be the one to take steps forward, her fears long forgotten as she placed a hand against Elena’s cool cheek._

_Instead of having her hand slapped away or a snowstorm brewing, those somber, blue eyes looked up at the Queen._

_“No, Elena… You’re not a monster.” Anna reached her other hand forward to cradle Elena’s face. The competitor looked deep into those teal eyes._

_“I am, Anna. I took the lives of people. Doesn’t that make me a monster?”_

_“You took it for good reason, I hope.” Anna tried to affirm, the pad of her thumb caressing her cheek. The blonde leaned into the touch, causing Anna’s heart to flutter._

_“I always tried to make sure that I did research on the missions proposed to me before I accepted them.” Elena tried to say, more to comfort herself and justify her past actions. Her eyes couldn’t help but look back towards the ground._

_Anna nodded her head. “Besides, you don’t seem like a monster to me.”_

_“Then what do I seem like to you?”_

_For some reason, Anna was able to answer that question in a heartbeat. “You’re just someone who deeply cares and loves the people in your life. You would go to lengths to make them happy. You’re just a lover, my dear.”_

_“I just want to protect my loved ones, that’s all.” Her eyes carefully looked up to meet Anna’s loving, teal ones. “Including you. I want to protect you, because you’re the most precious being in the universe, and you deserve the utmost protection. You deserve everything you want and more.”_

_And Anna couldn’t help but fall helplessly into those words. The Queen couldn’t help but notice the innocence, warmth and affection laced into those blue eyes. She couldn’t help but lean forward, her breath grazing the competitor’s lips as her teal eyes were hooded while Elena slowly leaned forward as well._

* * *

“Anna?” She heard the melodic voice whisper into her ear. The Queen fluttered her eyes open, gazing up to see those soft, icy blue ones staring down at her. Those blue eyes glistened from the reflection of the sun that was beating down behind Anna’s back through the window. The Protector’s hands were under her own chin.

“Hmm?” Anna smiled.

“As much as I would want you to sleep, we have to get going soon.” The competitor said, looking at the clock to see that they were definitely about half an hour behind schedule.

“Five more minutes?” Anna asked with a pout.

The competitor shook her head. “I’m sorry.” She gave a sympathetic smile to the Queen. “We’re already a bit behind schedule so we should really get going.”

Anna nodded her head, sitting up to stretch her body and blink her eyes rapidly to adapt itself to the morning sun. Olaf, the white wolf, sat at the door, gazing at the Queen with its hazel eyes and a small bark.

“I’ll be waiting right outside for you when you’re ready. I also brought some hot chocolate for you; it should be on the bedside table.” The competitor gestured towards the table, and Anna’s sleepy teal eyes followed her gesture, seeing a disposable cup of hot chocolate.

Anna smiled sleepily, leaning forward so that her face was close to Elena’s, her breath grazing the competitor’s face. The Queen placed her lips against Elena’s soft cheek, feeling imminent heat rising to them.

The Queen pulled back in a sleepy gaze, a dopey smile on her face. “You’re so sweet, thank you.”

Elsa blinked her eyes, unable to fight the blush on her cheeks. The competitor ducked her head, nervously rubbing the back of her neck. “No problem. I’ll be outside.”

The competitor hopped off of the bed and towards the door, the wolf waiting stood on all legs as he followed his partner into the hallway.

As Elsa was waiting for the Queen to get ready, she couldn’t help but bring a hand up to the cheek which Anna had kissed, a small smile on her face as her fingertips gingerly grazed over the area. The competitor knew that the Queen would take about fifteen minutes to get ready, and she was right once the door swung open with Anna standing there, her hair in twin braids, wearing the same attire as yesterday with the cup of hot chocolate in her hand.

Anna yawned, stretching her body before focusing her gaze on Elena. She brought the cup up to her lips, taking a sip of the hot chocolate.

“Thank you again for the hot chocolate. I love starting my day with it.”

The two started walking down the hall and down the flights of stairs.

“Do you usually start your day with hot chocolate?” Elena asked, following Olaf hop down the stairs.

“I like to, and it really depends on the weather. If the weather is unbearably hot, I’d prefer to start my day with a frozen hot chocolate. It’s just that I haven’t been able to, mostly because I oversleep and forget.” The sovereign hopped down their last flight of stairs.

“I’ll keep that in mind then.” Elena smiled cheekily at the girl.

Anna only raised an eyebrow at the girl as she followed her out of the inn. “What? Are you going to bring me hot chocolate each day?”

Elena shrugged her shoulders, waving for the guards to bring Nokk over. Blizzard immediately galloped towards Elena once the horse had spotted his master. “It’s something I can try to do, right?”

Anna wasn’t sure what to exactly say to that. Was Elena proposing that she would try get her hot chocolate each morning? The redhead shook her head. The idea of it was sweet and made Anna’s heart soar, but she didn’t want to always expect it.

The Golden Pegasuses immediately helped the Queen up onto her stead before running back towards their team. Elena was on Blizzard, waiting for her teammates to help Anna settle on her horse. Once Anna was securely on Nokk, Elena smiled and tilted her head in the direction of her teammates.

It seemed that everyone was ready to go, waiting for the Queen to enter their formation. Anna meekly nodded her head, allowing Nokk to follow Elena guide them to the formation. Once Anna was set in the middle, the team started their journey back towards Arendelle.

The journey there was fairly calm and smooth. The morning sun wasn’t harsh upon them, especially as they entered into heavy foliage from the woods that stood in between Arendelle and the town that they had departed.

It was only when they were well into the halfway point, about an hour away from Arendelle, when the sound of hooves echoed within the forest. The sound of metal clashing against metal was heard followed by wood being split.

All eyes turned towards the sound, noticing Elena on Blizzard, blocking an attack from someone that was wearing a mask that covered their entire face. The mask had a design of flames, the only items visible were the eyes from the masked man. In front of the formation was a stray, throwing dagger and an arrow split in two.

Another sound of metal against metal echoed within the air, and all eyes turned to see Hercules holding his sword up high against another enemy that had the same identical mask.

“This is not a drill, this is real.” Hercules yelled after he had pushed off the enemy that had attacked him. The leader’s declaration sprouted more enemies in the same mask to arise, surrounding the party. The enemies were either on foot or on horse.

“Group A, Formation 4. Group B, Defense H.” Elsa yelled as she slammed the hilt of her sword against the enemy’s head, causing them to fall unconscious on their horse.

The Golden Pegasuses scrambled to their formation as the captain had demanded. Men were all lined vertically and horizontally, swords up and ready to attack while the rest that were on the defense were lined up horizontally, surrounding the Queen.

Multiple arrows flew towards the direction of the Queen, and those in Group B barely reacted to it. Even Elsa had to step in by breaking some of the arrows with her daggers and sword. Even then, some of the arrows pierced into the Group B formation, making some of the men fall to the ground with a grunt.

The formation of Group A had caused the number of the enemies to be revealed. About sixty men emerged from the forest, either on horses or on ground, each wielded either a sword or bow, and wore the same fire mask.

Elsa gritted her teeth, the hold on her sword tightening as she held it up high. Olaf growled, his back hunched and baring his teeth at the approaching men.

“Eyes up. Group A, make sure no one gets through. Stand your ground.” Elsa knew that Group B’s main objective would be to block any incoming arrows.

With a yell, the enemies charged at the group. Hercules jumped to help, dealing with three enemies that were trying to cut him down at once while his Pegasus flew about the sky, distracting a few other enemies. Elsa worked in knocking out three men that were charging at her as well. The competitor also had to make an effort to slice arrows with her sword at any opportunity that was given to her.

The sound of metal against metal echoed. Groans, grunts and yells echoed within the silent forest.

Olaf snarled at the enemies, biting their legs or capturing their swords in his jaw before roughly pulling it away from their grasp, disabling them from fighting. It seemed though that the enemies were much more skilled, and it didn’t benefit the team that they were outnumbered by the enemies. One by one, the men that were supposed to be defending the team were being shot down by the archers lingering within the woods. Group A’s offense wasn’t working as men were inflicted with deep, cut wounds. Hercules was barely keeping his ground, only being able to knock two enemies unconscious, but still had his own wounds on his legs and arms. The leader of the Golden Pegasuses was panting, trying to keep up as there were always at least three to five enemies on him at once.

“Olaf!” Elsa yelled, capturing the wolf’s attention. The wolf looked at its partner, his teeth and snout painted with blood.

“Stay at Queen Anna’s side and protect her.” The Sigil knew that if she could trust anyone if all else failed, it would be Olaf.

The wolf nodded its head, quickly scurrying past the fallen bodies of enemies and allies to stand near the Queen’s side. The Queen had hopped off of Nokk, standing next to the horse in order to prevent any arrows to fly above the heads of the Golden Pegasuses.

Elsa hopped off of Blizzard and gestured towards Anna.

“Stay by her side and protect her.”

Blizzard blinks his eyes, looking at his master since he was a baby. The look of determination that glazed in those blue eyes was all Blizzard needed to heed to her request as the horse galloped towards Anna’s side.

Elsa breathed, holding up her sword as she continued to parry and knock out enemies coming her way. The enemies, noticing how Elena was a threat, especially because she kept cutting down arrows while also throwing her daggers towards the archers, started to crowd the blonde.

It was draining to keep trying to knock out the enemies instead of killing them because one wrong move from either Elsa or the enemy can mean life or death.

Although, it seemed that the Sigil was stuck in a sticky situation. Her own allies were getting severely injured, knocked down to the ground as the enemies towered above them, barely about to land the killing blow when another ally had stepped in to help. They were constantly outnumbered, and even if they were eliminating some enemies, more of their own allies were being downed.

The Golden Pegasuses were all looking out for each other’s back, but as a result, the defense around the Queen started to dwindle.

She couldn’t use her powers; she couldn’t reveal herself as the Ice Queen. Jack was long gone; Elsa knew once they had passed the halfway point between the cities. Her tired, blue eyes looked back at the enemies after she had pushed them back. She threw daggers to deflect arrows that were heading right towards Anna.

She had to kill. These enemies were relentless, her allies were falling and those who were still up barely kept up to prevent the enemies from killing them.

The enemies wanted to kill them. They wanted to kill all of the Golden Pegasuses.

They wanted to kill Anna.

Those arrows that soared right towards the Queen wasn’t aiming at a place that wouldn’t kill her. All the arrows aimed at vital points, where one arrow would take her life.

The fire in the enemies’ eyes kept growing, their laughs maniacal and loud.

She couldn’t let them kill her teammates. She couldn’t let them kill Olaf or Hercules or Blizzard or Nokk.

She couldn’t let them kill or hurt Anna.

She needed to kill. Everything was now life or death.

After blocking and knocking two more enemies unconscious, Elsa closed her eyes and took a breath. She was trained, along with the rest of the Sigils by Master Aura, to fight without their powers in the case that they may not be able to use their powers.

Elsa didn’t want to resort to killing. She didn’t want to resort to this, but if everyone’s life was on the line - if Anna’s life was on the line…

She opened her eyes, the once, bright, icy blue eyes hardened and brewed into a dark navy color. Her face holding no feelings, nothing but mere indifference. Grasping onto her sword tightly, the competitor moved across the battlefield with speed and power. Each enemy that she had come across, she proceeded to slice their hands off, if not, shove her sword into their gut. At one point, when the enemies noticed that she was the main threat, over ten enemies had fought her at once, sending a couple of heads rolling on the ground.

Blood stained her sword, stained her light-blue tights, stained her white-long sleeve, stained any part of her pale skin that was exposed. On the battlefield, her allies watched with an agape mouth as she moved swiftly, cutting down and killing anyone at her sight. She moved with such speed that some may consider it supernatural.

All the Golden Pegasuses watched, whether on foot or on the ground, as their team captain cut down the enemies easily. Her power was equivalent to that of an army of men, maybe even more. No one had expected this from the captain. They knew that she was skilled and talented, but being able to see it in combat plus more was what shocked and scared everyone.

The last enemy was unaware of what happened to their teammates, their sword high and towering above Hercules, who was on his knees, his breath haggard and his blue eyes looking down tiredly. The enemy proceeded to bring his sword down, and the sound of sword cutting flesh echoed in the air.

Hercules didn’t feel any pain. He thought that was his flesh being cut, but as he felt drops of liquid on his face, the leader opened looked up to see a thin sword coated with blood dripping in front of him. He noticed the enemy was limp on the sword, their own sword fallen to Hercules’s side.

The sword that punctured his body was withdrawn, and as the man fell forward, Hercules quickly slid backwards to look at the culprit.

There he saw his team captain standing there, her shoulders lifting up and down heavily, her clothes and face stained with blood splatters, her sword coated with blood and her blue eyes still a dark navy shade and the face of indifference, as if she didn’t care, whether in anger or in passion, that she had fought and killed.

Even fear inflicted upon Hercules’s own eyes when he met with those blue ones. As his eyes flitted across the landscape, he noticed all of the dead enemies laying there through it all. He noticed his teammates, all still alive, but some were unconscious, many severely injured and some barely standing. He noticed the Queen standing there, her arms wrapped around Nokk as her eyes were blown to the size of moons, fear definitely and obviously laced within them. He even noticed Olaf, the once courageous and playful wolf, standing next to the Queen but barely whining.

“Elena…” Hercules barely breathed. He was too fearful to reach a hand out, too scared to see what the captain would do. Was she in the right state of mind at the moment?

The leader watched as his captain’s eyelids closed, her breathing starting to come back in deep, full breaths. He watched as the girl’s shoulders had slouched, her body relaxing and her grip on her sword had loosened.

All was quiet. All watched, with Elena’s back faced to her team, the only person being able to see the facial expression was Hercules, as Elena calmed down from her rampage.

Hercules saw those eyelids open slowly, the dark, navy blue slowly shifting back to those azure eyes that he has known before the entire ambush.

“I’m sorry.” Elsa whispered, looking down at her sword with a frown.

Hercules whispered back, hush enough only for the captain to hear. “Did you lose unconsciousness?”

Elsa sighed. “I didn’t.” It was the truth. When Elsa became a serious fighter, she knew what she had to do, and she was conscious, for the most part, with adrenaline rushing through her veins.

Hercules slowly nodded his head, getting up before looking past the captain and at his team. They were all staring at her with wide eyes, all laced with fear.

“Team…” Hercules started. The team looked up at their leader, fear still laced within their eyes, but Hercules knew exactly the reason why. “Recover. For those who are unconscious, they would have to ride with the horses. Those who don’t think they can make the journey; you have priority to the horses. We aren’t far from Arendelle, and we should all head to the infirmary as soon as possible.”

Hercules walked past his captain, who turned when her leader had walked past her. She saw the fear in all of her teammates eyes, and she felt uneasy about it all. She watched as Hercules approached the Queen, and as Elsa’s icy blue eyes met Anna’s teal ones, she instantly noticed how the Queen had flinched.

That simple action felt as if a dagger was being twisted and turned in Elsa’s gut. She was on such good terms with Anna, and yet, from this one ambush where Elsa had to act, she can see that even she was afraid of her.

She watched as Hercules walked over to Anna, placing a hand on her shoulder and speaking to her in a hushed voice that Elsa couldn’t listen upon.

“Are you okay?”

Anna looked up at the King of Exodus, noticing that he sported his own wounds. She nodded her head weakly. “I’m ok.”

Hercules sighed. “We both see her in a different light now, don’t we?”

Anna knew what he meant, but she didn’t answer. Hercules only sighed once more before turning around to rally his men.

Olaf ran towards his partner with Blizzard galloping behind. The wolf stopped abruptly in front of Elsa, who stood frozen but with a defeated look. She won, she was able to take out every single one of them, she was able to save and protect her teammates and Anna… but why did it feel like she had just lost?

Olaf whimpered quietly, snapping the captain out of her gaze. She looked down to see Olaf’s head bowed, the whimpers still prevalent. Elsa knew Olaf was just checking in, but she also knew that the sheer power she had displayed scared the wolf as well.

The captain bent down, carefully placing her hand on top of Olaf’s head. His hazel eyes looked up to see his partner smile sadly at him before she proceeded to pet him.

“Stay by Queen Anna’s side until we get back to the castle, ok?”

The wolf whimpered again and watched as Elsa hopped onto Blizzard. Regardless of the horse seeing Elsa’s slaughter, Blizzard still kept his loyalty to the girl. The Sigil hopped onto the horse before looking back at Hercules, who only looked at her with furrowed eyebrows on his Pegasus. Hercules proceeded to gallop over to Elsa.

“Blizzard isn’t going to let anyone ride him.” Elsa explained. The horse neighed in agreement.

Hercules understood. “Can you carry one of the unconscious bodies?”

“Yes, I can. I’ll get a head start to scope out anything along the way and to get to the castle to notify Madam Mendo about the situation. I’ll make sure that she has all the beds prepared.”

Hercules nodded his head. “Okay, you should get going.”

“Will do.” Elsa answered, guiding Blizzard to gallop over an unconscious Golden Pegasus to pick them up onto her horse. Blizzard, although distaste clear in his mouth, allowed the competitor to place someone on his back. Once they were securely on, Elena hopped onto her horse before departing towards Arendelle.

The entire time, Anna watched the competitor do so without making eye contact with her. Fear continued to run through her blood at the prospect that someone she thought would be a safe haven could be close to her worst nightmare.

* * *

It was the following morning, the sun already bright and early as she walked through the town square with two cups in her hands. With each step that she had walked throughout the town square, she felt the gazes of everyone around her followed by murmurs, especially the term of the ‘Occult Demon’.

Once she had arrived back to Arendelle the day before, all of the onlookers watched the captain of the Golden Pegasuses drenched in blood with an unconscious body on her back. Rumors immediately erupted, concerned about the remaining competitors and Hercules until they arrived an hour later, all unconscious and severely wounded. Everyone was checked up immediately, eventually half of her team was dispatched the same night. Those who were dispatched then explained the situation, spreading around Arendelle about what had undergone on their journey back. Their stories amazed and/or feared all those who heard it, and the name that was given to the captain of the Golden Pegasuses was the Occult Demon.

That name was given to her for being ruthless in the fight, for having such inhumane and phenomenal powers, for being able to have such supernatural speed, and strength, and yet, it all was unexpected and seemed to be hidden under that cool and mysterious facade. She fought with no remorse on her face, no feelings or emotions at all, just impassiveness.

Elsa made her way towards the castle, gaining looks from the guards before she continued to proceed. She was a competitor, meaning that she still had rights and access to the castle between the hours of 8 am to 12 am. She continued walking through the castle at 9:20 am, knowing that this was the perfect time.

The competitor reached the East Wing and towards a familiar room that she has been to a couple of times while during the competition. From the times she has been in Arendelle prior to the competition, she knew how Anna’s morning routine was like: Gerda would swing by her room at 9:15 am to knock on the door and wake the Queen up. Anna would take five more minutes to sleep before actually waking up to get ready in ten minutes. She would then head down to the dining hall to start breakfast at 9:30.

So, Elsa arrived at Anna’s door at 9:20, placing the hot chocolate on the ground before knocking on the door and finding a corner of the hallway to hide from the Queen’s view. The door to the room opened and the Queen looked around the hall, her hair still in a frazzled mess. Anna then proceeded to look down at the ground, noticing a cup. She bent down to pick it up, opening the cap and instantly having the smell of hot chocolate infiltrate her nostrils.

Her teal eyes blinked into full awareness as she brought the cup to her lips, taking a sip. The Queen couldn’t help but release a small sigh of content at the warm drink in her hand. She looked back around the hallways, hoping to find out who it was that dropped off the drink. She had a feeling, but of course, she had her doubts for reasons.

Shaking her head out of those thoughts, Anna retreated back to her room. She had to get ready for an important meeting coming up anyways.

Elsa, from the end of the hall, smiled softly to herself when she saw that Anna had accepted the drink. The competitor knew that everyone had the next couple of days off, especially because of the unexpected event that had gone down. Nonetheless, Elsa knew that she needed to train herself for now. Even if yesterday had occurred resulting in the possible chance of her discontinuation in the tournament, she still needed to train for her Sigil duties. The next few days would require the team leaders to come together to determine who to eliminate, but Elsa also knew that it shouldn’t take a few days - they would also be discussing yesterday's attack.

The competitor turned on her heel, walked out of the castle and headed towards the forest.

* * *

_Ba-dump_

A scrawny man slammed his fist against a table filled with those of importance. The Queen sat at the head of the table, raising her eyebrow at the man who sat three seats down to her left. Spymaster Kallum, who sat to the left of the Queen, released a small scoff while Kristoff, who sat on the right of the Queen, looked at the man amusingly. Hercules, who sat next to Kristoff, scratched his cheek with a nervous smile. The rest of the table was filled with her advisors.

“I demand that she is disqualified! She can pose as a threat to the Queen and to all of Arendelle! From our reports, she was able to effortlessly kill those men without a scratch to her body. It doesn’t help that she has earned the favor of the Queen.” the man sneered, stating the last fact as if it was the most obvious thing in the universe.

Another board member that sat across from the man chimed in. “I agree! Her ruthless killing should not be modelized, especially considering that she is a captain of the Golden Pegasuses.”

Kai, one of Anna’s trusted advisors that sat next to Kallum, shook his head. “Now, now, let’s all think this through.”

“What is there to think through?” Another younger man argued. “She can pose as a threat! How does one mercenary, who lives on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Corona, with her skill does not have any reputation?”

“We don’t meddle or look into those types of things.” Kallum answered calmly, leaning back against the chair. 

The young man shot a look at Kallum. “Well, shouldn’t your spies look into that?”

“We have better things to look into.” Kallum shrugged his shoulders.

“Or is it rather that you were off for your own selfish reasons? The King never told us why you took your leave.” Another advisor grumbled. Although the remark was supposed to offend the Spymaster, the grey-eyed man merely shrugged his shoulders.

“Shouldn’t we get back to topic here?” Kristoff asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, we should.” The first man who had slammed his fist commented. “I don’t think it’s wise to keep Elena Snow in the competition.”

“And why is that again?” Kristoff asked, blinking his brown eyes in confusion.

The man knew he couldn’t lose his patience, not yet anyways. “She nearly slaughtered sixty men without receiving a single wound! According to her teammates, it seemed as if she lost herself in that frenzy.”

“Is that true, Hercules?” Kallum asked, his grey eyes focusing on the man who had stayed silent for the most part.

Hercules shook his head. “She didn’t lose control or consciousness, if that’s what you’re asking. I confronted her after she killed the last of them. She knew what she was doing.”

“Even more of a reason to boot her! She’s a heartless, cold blooded killer. We don’t need that in Arendelle, and she can cause more drama than celebration if she continues on in the competition.” The young man spoke up.

“What would make you think that?” Kai asked next to a bored Spymaster Kallum.

“What if she kills another competitor in a sparring match?”

“There’s no way that’s possible.” Kallum intervened with a sigh, his tone definitely bored with the conversation. “Elena Snow is very capable. If Hercules said that she knew what she was doing, that meant that she had a reason behind killing and taking those lives.” 

“Preposterous! She will pose as a threat to the Queen if she enters into phase three.” The second man that was against Elena had spoken.

“And how so? What are you implying, Sir Bernard?” Kallum asked with an amused tone. The remaining five advisors who sat at the farther end of the table, who also did not have as much power as the three that were voicing against Elena, sat quietly to watch the entire argument unfold.

“I’m implying that she can take on multiple guards of Arendelle! I’m sure she can even take on many Royal Guards at that.” The young man snarled.

“So, you’re saying that if she were to go against Kristoff, that Kristoff would be easily defeated? Are you saying that Arendelle’s army isn’t strong enough against a single individual? If so, shouldn’t that be a problem on us?” Kallum questioned.

Kristoff laughed in the light of the situation. “I’ll be honest; I’m sure that she can beat any of us in a fight.”

Hercules nodded his head in agreement.

“Exactly the point!” The first man slammed his fist again. “If she’s able to win against the King of Exodus, who is also the General of the Kingdom of Exodus, a kingdom known to value power and strength, then she does pose as a threat against Arendelle’s entire army.”

“Well, isn’t the reason why we threw this competition is to find a stronger asset for Arendelle? To be Anna’s Protector?” Kallum crossed his arms against his chest. “This entire competition’s main purpose is to seek additional fighters for Arendelle, to find Anna a strong Protector and, for your selfish purposes, to also scope out possible suitors for Anna.”

“Queen Anna.” the young man corrected.

“Shut it.” Kallum glared at the man. If anyone could get away with calling Anna by her name in front of her advisors, it would be Spymaster Kallum. “I see no harm in keeping Elena Snow in the competition. The most probable reason why she had killed all those men was because she wanted to protect the Queen.”

All was silent, no one would rebuttal against Kallum’s point. The man continued. “The ambush had sixty people, twenty more than how much the Golden Pegasuses had. Furthermore, the other competitors of the Golden Pegasus team weren’t capable of protecting Queen Anna. If I had heard correctly from Elena’s teammates, even in the beginning of the fight, they couldn’t deflect all of the arrows coming the Queen’s way without Elena’s help.” The advisors in the back nodded their heads silently in agreement.

“To continue, Elena didn’t actually start killing until she knew that more than seventy-five percent of her team were down - whether unable to battle because of wounds or falling unconscious. The enemy had an intent to kill, and it takes preciseness from both parties to knock someone out unconsciously. She had to kill in order to not only protect her teammates, but to also protect Anna. Isn’t that what we’re looking for? A strong Protector for the Queen that will make her safety their number one priority, even if it means killing hundreds or thousands of lives?”

All stayed silent while Kallum smirked. Sir Bernard was the first to speak. 

“I think I can say this on behalf of some of the other advisors, but we don’t feel safe having someone who is capable of so much around the Queen, especially considering how close Elena and Her Majesty have gotten.”

“What are you suggesting, Sir Bernard?” Anna finally spoke, her forearms on the table as she leaned forward to eye the elderly man.

“I am not saying that you must cut off relations with the competitor, Your Majesty. I am just saying that we will feel at peace of mind knowing that Elena isn’t plotting something against you.”

“If we are going to keep Elena in the competition,” one of the advisors in the back spoke. “Then it may be better if we could have a couple of Arendelle spies keep an eye on her during the meantime?”

More of the advisors nodded their heads in agreement.

Kallum scoffed. “Elena is smart to eventually know when she’s being watched. My spies will be easily caught under her scrutiny.”

“It’s rather the top two ranking spies will keep an eye on Elena if she were to stay in the competition, or she gets booted.” The first man demanded.

“The first spy is somewhere near the Kingdom of Exodus, still keeping an eye out and scouting the place while the second spy is in the Southern Isles. It will take a long time for them to get back here, and even then, they would be much more useful where they are now than coming back to be caught by Elena.” Kallum argued.

“Then I guess we kick her out.” The young man spoke.

“I will keep an eye on her.” Kallum said sternly. “I am the Spymaster of Arendelle after all. I’ll make sure to work around it so that the Silver Kitsunes’s practices align with the Golden Pegasuses; therefore, while I am gone to train my team, Hercules can keep an eye out for his own captain.”

No one was against the proposition, and it seemed that even the three men that had caused a ruckus nodded their heads in agreement.

“That settles it then.” Kai said. “Elena Snow will not be disqualified from the competition, but Spymaster Kallum must keep an eye out for her.” The secretary wrote down word for word on what Kai had said.

“Are there any other questions or concerns?” Kai asked, looking from one end of the table to the other. When the man was only met with silence, Kai nodded his head. “Meeting adjourned. Let’s leave the Queen and the leaders of the teams to discuss the qualifications and disqualifications of the rest of the competitors.”

With that, all of the advisors stood up, bowing their head and thanking the Queen for her time before exiting out of the room. Kai was the last to leave the room, turning around to smile softly at Anna, who returned that smile when she noticed that Kai had stopped at the door.

The trusted advisor left the hall and closed the door shut. 

Kristoff was the first to slouch in his seat, raising his arms up and stretching with a yawn.

“Alright, let’s disqualify some competitors, shall we?” Kallum said, taking out a list of the Silver Kitsunes.

“From this week’s placements, third was the Copper Cerberuses, second was the Silver Kitsunes and first was the Golden Pegasuses.” Anna said.

Hercules stayed silent as he looked at his list with a frown. He had a lower minimum than the rest of the leaders to disqualify while Kristoff had the most. Nonetheless, the man started placing dots on certain competitors on his list while crossing others out.

“Once we have a finalized list, we must tell the competitors who is eliminated the day of the supposed first day of tournaments.” Kallum said, starting his cross off.

“Speaking of which,” Kristoff had crossed off a few names. “We have to discuss what future missions will pertain to after yesterday’s events. I understand that this week will only be the social event in place of the tournament and mission but moving forward…” Kristoff brought up.

Anna nodded her head. “Yes, let me write down a list of possible options and changes, and I’ll present it to you guys while you determine who will stay and leave on your team.”

Throughout the rest of the day up until past supper, the door to the room stayed close with the three leaders and Queen working on adjustments to phase two of the competition.

* * *

“Alright, I’ll head out for the night.” Kristoff yawned, stretching his body with his list completed.

Hercules smiled softly. “What a productive day indeed.”

“So, make sure to review the lists one last time tomorrow to confirm who you are keeping and who you are expelling. We have to announce it on the day after’s breakfast right before the ball.” Kallum concluded.

“Let’s get going.” Hercules said, standing up and following Kristoff off as well.

“A word with you, Kallum.” Anna said as Hercules and Kristoff were halfway to the door. The Spymaster nodded his head, staying seated and waiting until the other two leaders had left the room.

“What is it that you may need to talk to me about?” Kallum asked, turning his head to face the Queen.

“I just wanted to ask if you were sure that you wanted to keep an eye on Elena.” It was getting late and Anna wanted to return back to her room and sleep.

Kallum raised an eyebrow. “Do you think I’m afraid of her?” 

“No, I don’t.” Anna sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. “I just thought you weren’t as fond of her.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Well, it didn’t seem like you thought she had potential the first time you met her.”

Kallum chuckled. “True, but I underestimated her like everyone else did.”

Anna nodded her head, putting her papers together and in place.

“Besides,” Kallum placed his fingers against the table, tapping lightly on the wood. “I think the real thing we need to talk about is your thoughts on her after yesterday.”

“My thoughts haven’t changed.” Anna’s voice definitely rose an octave.

Kallum shook his head. “I know you’re lying. Are you afraid of her after yesterday?”

“I… don’t know.” Anna said, looking away in the distance.

“If you were afraid, why would you be afraid?” Kallum inquired.

 _"Because yesterday was a reflection of one of my many nightmares.”_ She had wanted to say. Instead, the Queen replied back in a tired voice. “Look Kallum, she’s just capable of so much. If you had seen her, it seemed that she had no remorse and no feelings, as if she killed with indifference.”

Kallum leaned back in his chair. “She killed because she cares about you.”

At the Spymaster’s comment, Anna’s brain snapped awake. She looked fully at the man in front of her, the man that she trusted most in the entire world. “What? How would you know?”

The grey-eyed man scoffed. “Anyone can see how much she cares about you even before yesterday, Anna. I don’t believe that the girl only killed because she felt like it. Elena is smarter and more tactical than that - she had to kill because she wanted to protect you. Even her teammates had mentioned before that she had knocked out the enemies that she was fighting with in the beginning; it was only after the Golden Pegasuses started dwindling was when she resorted to killing.”

Anna frowned. “I understand that, I get it - “

“Then why does it seem like you’re hesitant about her now? When you were so infatuated and head over heels for her?” Kallum intervened.

“I was not infatuated.” Anna argued with arms crossed and a pout on her face.

Kallum laughed at the girl’s countenance. “Yes, only going to the Golden Pegasus’s practices and seeing Elena secretly on multiple nights means that you didn’t have an interest in her.”

Anna’s cheeks puffed out as Kallum smiled at the girl. “Don’t let something that happened yesterday ruin your image of her.” The Spymaster stood up. “I can see that she cares a lot about you too. Although, I should get going. My duty to spy on her starts tomorrow, right?”

Anna nodded her head. “Right. Goodnight, Spymaster Kallum.”

“Night Anna.” The man waved before proceeding to leave the room, leaving Anna all alone in her thoughts.

The Queen sighed, rubbing her face tiredly as she thought back to yesterday’s events. It was true - Elena didn’t kill until the very end, and even if she seemed so distant, it was as if she reverted back to herself the moment after it was all over.

Anna remembers when their eyes met, and although she made the mistake of showing fear flash, the redhead clearly saw the competitor’s eyes be inflicted with both concern and hurt. If Elena was a heartless monster, she wouldn’t care about what Anna thought of her, right?

Anna knew that Elena was still Elena - she was still the sweet, caring, compassionate, adventurous, chivalrous and mysterious girl. It was just that what she had witnessed had brought back thoughts of her ongoing nightmare, and it didn’t help that Elena had similar features to Elsa.

_But she left hot chocolate this morning like she said she would._

The Queen clearly knew that it had to be Elena that left the hot chocolate for her, right? It couldn’t have been Gerda - the head maid frowned upon the idea of the young sovereign drinking a sugary beverage to the start of her day.

_Maybe I just need to get some rest._

With that thought in mind and another yawn, Anna gathered her papers, standing up to stretch before scurrying out of the meeting room. After walking through the halls, noticing a lot more maids than usual, she arrived at her room where she quickly bathed, changed and hopped right into bed.

It was when she was in bed that her thoughts lingered back to Elena. The night that she had stayed with her, Anna never experienced any nightmares. In fact, it was the most blissful sleep that she had experienced in a while, but that was all before yesterday’s events.

Anna knew that being around Elena made her happy - it made her relax, made her forget about all of her daunting duties, made her forget about all that has happened in the past. Being with Elena felt safe, comfortable and normal. Being with Elena made the sovereign relax more and worry less. Being with Elena made her heart race and her gut soar.

Sighing once again, Anna decided to deal with this in the future. With that, she fell asleep once again without comforting arms wrapped around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to write as much as I can to have some chapters ready for you guys! I'll try update at least once a week :)


	31. The Observatory

The next two days had passed by very quickly and in such a blur that Anna wasn’t sure what was on today’s schedule. She would receive a knock on her bedroom door every morning at around 9:20 am to be greeted with a cup of hot chocolate on the ground.

The Queen was seen sitting in the front of the ballroom on a makeshift throne, taking a sip of her hot chocolate as she watched competitors filter into the room. Hercules was on her right while Kristoff was on her left; the remaining leader of the teams, Kallum, was out ‘spying’ on Elena, as per negotiated and discussed.

 _“I wonder if Kallum saw Elena drop off a cup of hot chocolate for me these past two mornings.”_ Anna took another sip of the warm cup, savoring the flavor that hit her taste buds. 

The competitors who entered the ballroom were going to the ends of the room to pick out some breakfast foods before sitting amongst their teammates. The ballroom was eventually split into three sections: the Golden Pegasuses, the Silver Kitsunes and the Copper Cerberuses.

Her eyes were on the lookout for one particular person; the same girl that constantly kept creeping into her thoughts day and night. Oddly enough, Anna never had any nightmares regarding the competitor, even after the events of the ambush.

Her thoughts were definitely answered when the competitor entered into the room; her attire was back to being its pristine condition: her white long sleeve, light-blue tights and golden cape. Surprisingly but not shockingly, the blonde had walked into the room with Eric and Spymaster Kallum at her side, the former making a joke in an attempt to make the two laugh.

Her aquamarine eyes followed as the three went to grab a plate of breakfast foods. On the way there, Eric was being flagged down by his teammates, to which the captain, sporting his own silver cape, waved back enthusiastically. Once the three had received their food, Kallum had bid them a farewell and journeyed his way towards the front of the room where Anna and the other two leaders resided.

Anna continued to watch as Elena and Eric had walked towards the opposite side of the room, sitting in the far back on an empty table instead of with their respective teammates. That brought a smile to her face.

 _“Even with all these rumors, it seems that Eric still cares about Elena.”_ Anna was grateful that the competitor still had a friend even after the day of the mission. It seemed that all of the Golden Pegasuses were fearful of her, and even Hercules, who had become uncomfortably silent in the past few days, had also been fearful of his own captain.

“Not going to say hello to your captain?’ Kallum’s question broke Anna out of her trance. She looked to her right to see Kallum nearly glaring at the team leader. The tanned man sighed, shaking his head.

“The meeting is going to start soon and they’re on the opposite side of the room.” Hercules tried to argue. Kallum released a disappointed sigh before turning around.

“So be it.”

The tables were slowly filling up within the ballroom. After it seemed that most of the competitors had settled themselves, Anna gave the crowd a few more minutes to mingle with one another before they would start the purpose behind the early breakfast.

“Alright.” Kristoff’s voice boomed within the room. Everyone’s eyes turned towards the front, seeing the Captain of the Royal Guard step forward with hands clapped together. “Welcome competitors. Today, we are going to be discussing about the first week’s results of phase two, those who are eliminated from the competition and the changes that will be made moving forward into phase two of the competition.”

At the mention of eliminations, huge murmurs erupted within the room. Typically, Hercules would be the one to step forward and silence the crowd, but instead, the King of Exodus stayed mute, his eyes looking down towards the piece of paper in his hands and a frown sporting his face.

Kristoff shook his head. It was as clear as day that Hercules’s demeanor had changed after the day of their mission. The blonde man took another step, raising his voice towards the crowd.

“Silence!” People stopped talking. They were shocked to see the Captain of the Royal Guard being the one to silence them, especially with the volume of his voice. “We will now be discussing the placements before moving forward to those who are eliminated from the competition.”

“First place… are the Golden Pegasuses.” Cheers erupted from the front, right side of the ballroom. Anna couldn’t help but notice how Elena felt uncomfortable, shifting in her seat as a lot of eyes fell upon the Occult Demon.

“Second place are the Silver Kitsunes.” A round of applause from Kallum’s team members.

“And third is the Copper Cerberuses.” Not a lot of noise, but there were still respectful claps throughout the ballroom.

“Alright.” Kallum stepped forward with a smirk, sending most of those in their seats quaking in fear. “Let’s start with the eliminations, shall we?” It seemed that his voice dripped with pleasure, making most of the Silver Kitsunes tense.

Each leader took out their list except for Hercules, who already had his list in hand, grasping onto it tightly.

“I’ll go first.” Kallum volunteered, unrolling his list before stating a series of names. Everyone in the room had wide eyes as they didn’t expect Kallum to cut half of his team. Eric was still able to stay along with all of the Southern Isles Princes This left twenty people in the Silver Kitsunes.

The fact that Kallum had cut half of his team had worried the Copper Cerberuses. The placements also set a minimum standard, and they were all fearful that the minimum standard must have been a large number.

Kristoff cleared his throat, stepping forward before listing out those who were disqualified. Again, Hans and the Southern Isles Princes all stayed, while half of the Copper Cerberuses were eliminated, leaving twenty people on the team.

As the room was now at seventy-five percent capacity, Hercules was the next to step forward, his voice sorrowful and nervous as he started to list out the names of the Golden Pegasuses that were eliminated.

This was what shocked everyone in the room - the Golden Pegasuses, although placing first in the first week, was cut down to only fifteen people. All the Southern Isles Princes had survived through the first round of the first phase. Elena, shockingly but unsurprisingly, made it past the first round even during her performance in the mission. It wasn’t like she did terrible during the trainings, tournaments and mission - she excelled with flying colors. It was just the impromptu of the mission that had caused murmurs to arise when people had realized the Occult Demon had survived the first week of phase two.

There were now only thirty-five competitors in the room left - almost seventy-five percent of the entire pool of competitors being eliminated through the first week.

 _This is what Eric meant when he had said he heard phase two was going to be short._ Elsa thought, looking towards the front where the leaders all came together to gather the papers, handing it off to Anna’s most trusted and favorite advisor, Kai.

“Alright.” Kallum announced to the significantly smaller room. “We will now discuss about the changes that will be made to phase two due to unforeseen circumstances.” Kallum’s grey eyes drifted towards the back, meeting the icy, blue ones that he had trained years ago.

“This week will be considered a break week except for the ball tonight. Your performance during the ball tonight will be considered when we deliberate about eliminations next week. Besides the ball, there will be no trainings, no tournaments and no competitions for the remainder of the week.” Kallum’s grey eyes surveyed the room, noting multiple faces within the crowd filled with confusion.

“We will not tell you how you will be judged and critiqued for the ball - just act how you would if you were to be at a ball. Furthermore, regarding next week’s round, we are eliminating missions and will only have tournaments and training.”

A round of whispers erupted once more at the notion of taking missions out. Everyone had a hunch as to why exactly they were being taken out.

“Meeting adjourned.” Kallum didn’t even bother to grab their attention back once more. He said all that was needed to be said. The grey-eyed man proceeded to hop off a few steps before making his way towards Elena and Eric.

Kristoff, Hercules and Anna watched the Spymaster walk away from them in confusion. He seemed to have up and left without discussing with the rest of them about the status of the competition. Anna shook her head, sighing before waving off the other two leaders that were patiently waiting for her command.

“We will talk about this later this week. It seems that Kallum isn’t in the mood to discuss about these things.” Anna said, her teal eyes narrowing as he Spymaster stopped in front of Eric and Elena.

“It seems that the Spymaster does have his job to watch over Elena after all. Although, I don’t know if, when he said watching over, that he actually meant spying or befriending.” Kristoff grumbled.

“I’ll see you guys tonight.” Hercules said, waving at the Captain of the Royal Guard and the Queen before making his departure out of the ballroom amongst the sea of competitors that were now exiting.

Kristoff turned his attention back towards the Queen and frowned when he noticed that her eyes were still focused on the trio. “Would you want to hang out before the ball?”

Anna’s lips curved into a frown as she watched the three of them stand and be the last to exit the ballroom. “Sorry, I have work to do.” Since the meeting has ended, Anna felt her mood drop when she realized that Elena never even spared a glance towards her.

Kristoff sighed. “Alright.” The Captain of the Royal Guard hopped off of the ledge. “I’ll see you tonight?”

This left Anna alone in the ballroom. The girl leaned back in her throne; a small frown perched on her face. She closed her eyes, trying to relax before she heard a soft pant ahead of her. The sovereign opened her eyes, seeing a pure, white wolf standing in front of her with a box in his mouth.

“Olaf?” The wolf walked up the two steps and forward, releasing the box that was in his jaw onto Anna’s lap before pulling away with a smile and a bark.

Anna looked back down at the box, seeing it be a green box with a purple ribbon on it. The wolf took a small bow before turning to run out of the ballroom.

With agile fingers, Anna unraveled the ribbon and opened the box. Her eyes widened as she saw a variety of chocolates in front of her, and knowing that Olaf had given her this, she knew exactly who this was from.

 _“Maybe work isn’t going to be too bad.”_ Anna popped a chocolate in her mouth with a hum.

* * *

As quickly as the day had passed, night had arisen. Competitors and guests flooded into the gates of the castle, sporting their best attire with the competitors wearing their masks to distinct themselves amongst the rest. The captains of each team still had to wear their colored capes on their shoulders. Hans walked in with his usual Westerguard attire that he would wear to any ball, the only difference was that a bronze cape was draped across his left shoulder, right underneath his small, black epaulets. 

Anna was there to greet each and every guest with a smile at the front door. Hans, lingering a bit longer than usual, proceeded to move along when one of his older brothers had walked through the doors, pushing the youngest into the castle in order to create more space for not only the Queen, but for other guests to enter.

Then, the most breathtaking thing had happened to Anna that she didn’t expect to see coming. In fact, she was in a state of shock, no words coming out of her mouth to greet incoming guests coming in as her eyes looked ahead at a particular competitor.

Eric was walking alongside with the individual who seemed to have literally knocked the breath out of Anna. Eric, wearing a typical black tuxedo suit with a black tie, white collared shirt underneath and silver cape draped across his shoulder, most likely pinned to his suit, was laughing alongside with the most alluring, stunning and beautiful person she had laid eyes on this entire night.

The striking individual had her hair into her usual style as she would in the competition - luscious, platinum-blonde locks flowing smoothly down her back, the tiny baby hairs and bangs framing her face. She was wearing an icy, blue dress that almost matched the color of her eyes but seemed a bit lighter in shade due to the design. Her dress sparkled and glittered somewhat like sparkling snow falling down from the sky, or tiny crystals of hail, depending on how one saw it. A lighter tone of blue fabric that was a bit more see stretched from around her underarm to her wrist. Her golden cape was draped across her left shoulder, covering her skin unlike her right shoulder that was bare to the world.

The fabric clung to her like a second skin and Anna felt light-headed when she saw that tantalizing and teasing slit that reached the middle of her right thigh, exposing those long, slender legs.

 _“Fuck.”_ Anna thought, feeling herself basically drool at the sight in front of her. Anna realized that the pair was nearing them; she was able to clearly see each and every feature of the older girl’s dress. 

“Good evening, Your Majesty!” Eric bowed with a smile.

Anna opened her mouth, trying to say something but only gibberish seemed to come out from it. She still had her eyes locked on Elena’s attire. Deciding she was embarrassing herself enough, the Queen closed her mouth and only nodded her head at the both of them. She couldn’t look at Elena or else she would know that she would fall into the depths of embarrassment for looking at her so blatantly.

“Good evening, Queen Anna.” Elena’s velvety smooth voice was all Anna would want to hear for the rest of her life, along with being engulfed in her vanilla-snow scent and basking in her warmth.

Anna only nodded her head again, not being able to make eye contact with the two captains as they moved along into the castle, allowing the other guests to enter and greet the Queen.

The younger girl tried to snap out of her trance, and she was barely capable of doing so as she continued to greet guests. Her mind wasn’t exactly there as it kept wandering to Elena’s attire and entrance. Oh how the sovereign wouldn’t mind whisking the competitor away, doing their usual night adventures as they would always do.

It was only when she felt a tug on her elbow that she had turned to notice Kai greeting her with a smile. “Your Majesty, I think it is time for you to enter the ballroom and make an appearance. Mingle and do whatever you may need to do.”

“Yeah, let’s go.” Anna breathed, following Kai as she felt her heart hammer against her chest. Of course it would, and the redhead knew exactly why her heart was racing as she neared the ballroom where all the guests and competitors were. 

Once she entered the room, she noticed that everyone was in full swing of conversation, and although some people at the front greeted her with a bow, Anna’s eyes kept searching through the crowd while she and Kai had made their way to the front of the room.

She took the few steps up, almost tripping over the steps not only because of her clumsy nature, but because she was also slightly distracted. Anna turned around to face the crowd that seemed to quiet down and give her their undivided attention.

Anna cleared her throat. “Welcome everyone! Thank you for attending this charity ball in efforts to help those in need. Please feel free to continue mingling and discussing with others, enjoy the food and dance to your heart's content when the music begins.”

With a single wave, the entire crowd took that as the closing to the introduction of the ball. The people continued to talk to those around them, and as Anna’s eyes flitted across the ballroom, she was able to clearly spot the golden and silver capes on the far-right side of the room.

 _“God she’s breathtaking.”_ Anna thought, watching Eric laugh at something Elena had said. The younger girl yearned to talk and be near the competitor. The past two days have prevented her from seeing them, from the meeting that expanded throughout the entire day after the mission to the copious amount of work, whether if its relations with other kingdoms or with her advisors about the tournament, that she had to argue and deal with. It also didn’t help that the free time Anna made sure to have after this morning’s breakfast was deemed useless because Elena had left with Kallum and Eric… without talking to her.

The only time that she did have available time, Elena didn’t approach her. The redhead gets it: the competitor shouldn’t be the one to always suggest spending time with her, but she was hoping that she would this time. Instead, Kristoff had asked, but Anna made an excuse because she felt down at the fact that Elena didn’t even make eye contact with her throughout the day.

 _“Okay, all you have to do is walk up to them and talk to them. Don’t make it awkward, don’t make it weird. Just… do it. You can do it, Anna. You got this.”_ Anna decided. She wants to see Elena, she wants to hear her voice, hear her laughter and see her little quirks. She took a deep breath in, closing her eyes and releasing a breath as the music started playing within the ballroom.

When she opened her eyes, she had to restrain a gasp when it came into contact with those azure ones across the room. With Elena looking at her, Anna couldn’t help but feel her hands sweat up. Her heart lurched when she saw the competitor’s lips curve upward. Elena leaned towards Eric, whispering to him something but still maintaining her eye contact with Anna before making her way towards the Queen. 

_“Oh, she’s coming this way. Oh gosh, oh gosh.”_ Elena pushed through the crowd, her golden cape and her attire as clear as day to make it impossible to lose her in the sea of people.

_“Is she going to ask for a dance?”_

The Queen took a few steps down until she reached the ground floor. She might as well meet Elena halfway. She wanted, maybe even _needed,_ to see her and talk to her. Her entire adrenaline ran on the older girl, as if she was the most addicting drug, or maybe chocolate, in Anna’s case, in the universe.

Then, Elena was able to break through the crowd until they were about six feet apart, giving Anna a view of the competitor in all her beauty. The two stared at each other, the blonde out of breath, most likely because of her journey here, while Anna was out of breath because of the breathtaking beauty in front of her.

The blonde gave Anna a sheepish smile and was about to walk forward when Anna seemed to have been ambushed to the side by a white, navy blue and bronze blur.

“Your Majesty, you look beautiful this fine night.”

Anna had to turn her attention towards the voice, seeing Prince Hans bowing to her. At the presence of the Prince, Elena stopped in her tracks and watched the scene unfold.

“Would you care for a dance, Your Majesty?” Prince Hans offered his hand with his most charming smile. Anna looked down at the hand, a small tinge of sadness overcoming her. She didn’t want to dance with Hans; she wanted to dance with Elena.

Before she could refuse the captain of the Copper Cerberuses, one of her advisors, the old one that seemed to have been the most against Elena, ushered for the Queen to dance with the Prince.

With a small sigh and nod of head, Anna accepted Hans’s hands and allowed him to guide her to the dance floor. She couldn’t help but look back, and she immediately regretted it when she saw the light in Elena’s eyes flutter away, and instead be replaced with melancholy. The competitor’s shoulders slumped, and her smile instantly transitioned into a frown.

It made Anna’s heart drop to her gut at the sight.

Hans continued to pull her away towards the dancefloor, and as Elena stood at her spot, watching them walk away, she couldn’t help but sigh.

_Is she avoiding me? Is it because of the mission?_

Elsa shook her head, turning around and walking back through the crowd. 

_She must still be afraid of me, but who wouldn’t? I’m the Occult Demon._

When she arrived back to where Eric was, the man’s own smile dropped when he noticed the somber look on his friend’s face.

“It’s okay.” Eric said with a sad smile. He knew, by watching and observing the girl’s behavior, that she really did care about the Queen. “Let’s grab something to drink, yeah?”

Before Elsa could even give him her reply, one of the Princesses from another nearby Kingdom had stopped in front of them. She had a cheeky smile on her face as she greeted Eric.

“You’re Eric, the captain of the Silver Kitsunes and the Vigilant Fox, right?” It was true. Once Elena had been classed as the ‘Occult Demon’, everyone had thought that it would be best to give nicknames to the captains of the team, especially since they didn’t have any number assigned to them within their team. They classed Eric as the Vigilant Fox and Hans as the Cogent Coyote.

“That is me.” Eric answered, gesturing towards his silver cape.

“Would you like to share a dance?” The Princess asked.

“Actually…” Eric started, but Elena was quick to intervene.

“He would love to dance.”

The man looked at his friend confusingly, but Elena shook her head.

“I’ll be fine. Go have fun.” Elena encouraged. The Princess’s eyes widened when she noticed the positive relationship between the Occult Demon and Vigilant Fox.

“Alright.” Eric knew Elena was stubborn and would keep pushing him to dance. Although it has almost been three weeks, the man knew that the younger competitor understood his hobbies and the things he liked to do - one being to dance.

Eric turned back to the Princess, accepting her hand and guiding the both of them to the dancefloor. Elena’s azure eyes followed the two and coincidentally landed on the Queen and Prince Hans waltzing throughout the dance floor. Her heart dropped once more, and a feeling of deja vu washed over her.

Deciding that she didn’t want to stand around, being stared at and gossiped of by others, the competitor proceeded to leave the ballroom. It’s not like she had anyone else to talk to, and she was the Occult Demon - people wouldn’t come to talk to her after the mission’s events.

_It will only be temporary. I’ll come back to show face, but I just need some air._

Elena walked through the castle halls, walking aimlessly until her feet had guided her towards the center of the castle. It was a garden which was surrounded by the walls of the castle, but large enough to fit many trees, bushes, a fountain and a few sculptures. This was one of the two gardens in the castle, but the other was farther and on the edge of the castle because that one had a pond. This garden was more so for people to quickly cut through the castle as the center of the garden split into eight different paths from the cross section.

Nonetheless, the garden was beautiful with fairy lights strung all around from bushes to around trees to along the stone paths and benches, providing a mythical, illuminating effect to the entire garden. There were benches align in between each path at the center. Six of the paths, three going north and three going south, all had trees align them while the paths that were going west or east had stone ledges for people to sit in front of the bushes that lined the west and east entrances. Elsa, coming from the west entrance, walked towards the center. She wasn’t surprised that the garden was empty - everyone was busy mingling at the ball, especially because the event had just started. At the center of the cross-paths was a small fountain that also had fairy lights wrapped around it. Depending on the time of the year, the fountain would be replaced with other things, such as a Christmas Tree. 

The blonde claimed one of the benches near the north side and took a side. She took a breath in, leaning back and closing her eyes before releasing a breath. 

_It makes sense. She hasn’t really made eye contact with me throughout these past few days. It’s like she has been avoiding me._

The image of Anna on her mission flashed in her mind. The way her eyes laced with fear and her posture rigid.

_Everyone sees that I’m a monster now… she sees that I’m a monster now. Great, Elsa. Great way to mess things up. Who knows if you will get disqualified from your performance today or in phase three. God, I’m such an idiot._

“Elena?”

The competitor opened her eyes at the mention of her name. She turned to her right, meeting hazel eyes and a fond smile. The blonde blinked at the black-haired beauty in front of her. The Princess wore a short, baby pink dress that had some volume to its end. It was simple but suited the girl well.

“Good evening, Princess Cecilia.” Elena was confused as to why the girl was out here, especially considering that she was a Princess. She should have been inside, talking to other people.

“Would you mind if I took a seat next to you?” She gestured to the seat to the right of Elena.

The competitor shook her head. “I don’t mind.”

The young raven-haired girl smiled once again before taking a seat. She turned towards the competitor, who was now facing the Princess and blinking her icy blue eyes at her. Princess Cecilia giggled, confusing the competitor much more.

“You’re cute when you’re confused.” The Princess smiled while Elena scoffed.

“Am not. Also, why would you think that?”

“Think that you’re confused or think that you’re cute when you’re confused?”

Elena only glared at the girl while the Princess smirked at her. “Well, your face looks as if you’re confused. As to why I think you’re cute when you’re confused… well, it’s because I just say it how I see it.”

“Even with everything?” Elena asked hesitantly.

Princess Cecilia raised her eyebrow in amusement. “You mean with you being the Occult Demon?”

Elsa wrung her hands together. “People are scared of me. Aren’t you scared because I’m the Occult Demon? Because I’m a monster?”

Princess Cecilia laughed, actually full on laughed at Elena’s reasoning. “Well, if you were to do something, then my Protector would use their powers on you. Besides…” The Princess of the Kingdom of Zephyr leaned forward and whispered softly. “I don’t think you’re a monster.”

She leaned ever so closely, her fingers grazing the top of Elsa’s hand as their faces were a couple of inches apart. Princess Cecilia’s hazel eyes peered into Elena’s blue ones. “People who think you’re a monster are wrong. I think they’re missing out.”

Elena noticed how Princess Cecilia’s hazel eyes flitted down to her lips before looking back up to meet her blue ones. Elena froze, unsure of what to do and what was expected out of her.

“Do you mind if I try and do something?” She whispered softly, her breath grazing against Elena’s lips as she could smell the faint smell of citrus.

“I’m going to be honest with you, Elena.” The Princess’s voice continued lowly. “When I first laid eyes on you, you took my breath away. Then when I continued talking to you through that night, I couldn’t help but become more interested in you, and my interest hasn’t changed even after your mission.”

Elsa was in a state of shock. What was she supposed to do? No one has ever shown interest in her except for Anna. Even during her Sigil missions, when she did gain the interest and favor of others, she knew it was with intent.

Before Princess Cecilia could lean in to take the girl’s lips into hers, they both heard someone call Elena’s name.

“Elena!” The mention of her pseudonym caused the Sigil to jump back, but Princess Cecilia still stayed in her place with her hand on top of Elena’s, a frown on her face at her opportunity being abruptly taken away.

Both heads turned to see Queen Anna approaching the pair. To what Elsa could see, it seemed that the Queen was a bit distraught, and at the sight of the younger girl in a stressed state, Elena stood up and was about to rush to her but stopped when she stood. She thought back to the past week’s events and had stopped herself from moving forward. Instead, Elsa stood still, her blue eyes looking into Anna’s distraught ones.

“Good evening, Your Majesty.” Elsa opted in to saying. The Queen looked from the frowning Princess to the hesitant and confused competitor.

“Hi Elena.” Anna took a few steps forward. “We must talk about the competition, especially considering that you are the captain of one of the three teams.”

“Is now really the time, Queen Anna?” Princess Cecilia scoffed. “I’m sure you can discuss with Elena about the competition another time. Shouldn’t you be at the ball?” The raven-haired girl had a bite to her tone.

Anna rolled her teal eyes and narrowed it at the Princess that was still sitting on the bench. “Shouldn’t you be at the ball, Princes Cecilia? I haven’t seen you the entire time, and I’m sure that your father wouldn’t appreciate you not being there to network.”

“I am networking.” Princess Cecilia sneered.

The Queen crossed her arms with a raised eyebrow. “It looked more than just networking to me.”

The Princess shook her head. “I’m just trying to get to know Elena Snow much more. Her performance has been astounding during the tournament, and I’m sure that father would also appreciate it if she were to join the Kingdom of Zephyr. Besides,” Cecilia smirked. “If we’re being completely honest, I do have an interest in Elena. If she would have me, I would love to have the honor in taking her out on a date.”

The mention of Cecilia’s boldness made Anna’s blood run cold for just a second before it instantaneously heated in jealousy and possessiveness. Her aquamarine eyes darkened into a dark green. “Well, I need to talk to Elena about competition matters. It is urgent.”

Without even allowing Cecilia to say another word or rebuttal, Anna reached forward to grab Elena’s hand and dragged her towards the East Wing of the castle, a place where no one should be at considering that the ball was on the West Wing of the castle.

And true to Anna’s assumptions, there was no one at the East Wing of the castle. The only individuals there were a few of her most trusted royal guards. Anna preferred it this way - she didn’t want any eyes or rumors to gravitate throughout the event about how she was holding hands with one of the competitors. It would just solidify her clear interest in Elena.

The Queen eventually took them to her chambers, opening the door and roughly pulling her into the room. Elena looked at her with a tilt of a head as the Queen turned around to face the competitor.

“Are you alright, Anna?” The flow of her name through Elena’s lips had seemed to calm the girl down. Anna took a deep breath in and out before her dark green eyes had softened at the sight of the concerned competitor.

“Yes.” She sighed. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

This confused Elsa. “Shouldn’t have done what?”

Anna ran a hand through her face. “I shouldn’t have pulled you away so abruptly, especially because you were enjoying your time with Princess Cecilia.” She frowned.

“I mean, we have to discuss about the competition, right? I’m assuming it is about the Golden Pegasuses?” 

Anna felt the pit of her stomach drop at her lie. “No.” She came out truthfully. “There’s nothing about the competition to talk about. I just…” Anna trailed off.

“You just what?” Elsa asked with a raised eyebrow. She was as confused as ever.

“I just missed you.” Anna mumbled, looking down at her feet. “I haven’t seen or talked to you the past three days and I just missed being around you.”

“Oh.” Elsa’s eyebrows furrowed even more. “I thought you were avoiding me; I thought you were scared of me. I just wanted to give you some space.”

“Wait, what?” It was Anna’s turn to be confused now.

“After the mission, you were afraid of me. I saw it in your eyes.” Elsa’s lips curved downward. “I… I thought you were scared of me. I thought you saw me as a monster.” Her voice trembled slightly. “I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Elena…” Anna looked up to notice that her blue eyes were somber, her gaze fixated towards the ground and her lips in a frown that made Anna’s heart hurt. The Queen reached her hand forward, cradling Elena’s cheek with the palm of her hand. “I would never think of you as a monster. I was just shocked initially, but after a few days, I realized that it was just you protecting me and everyone else. You had no other choice.”

“I killed all those people.” Elena leaned into Anna’s touch, but her eyes never looked back up, too afraid to see those eyes.

“You did it to save everyone else. All that mission had done was make me realize how heroic and courageous you are.” The pad of Anna’s thumb caressed the top of Elena’s check. “Please, Elena. I promise you that I’m not afraid of you and don’t think of you as a monster. I just missed you... A lot actually.”

“Okay.” Elena slowly looked up, her somber and tired eyes meeting the teal ones that shined with affection and care. “You should go back to the ball though.”

“Only if you come with me.” Anna used her free hand to reach forward, taking the competitor’s hand into hers, feeling warmth surge through her touch.

“I don’t want to tarnish your name. I’m the Occult Demon after all. You should be spending time with someone like Eric or Hans.”

“I don’t care.” Anna said firmly, squeezing Elena’s hand. “If I’m going to be dancing and being with anyone during the ball, it’s with you. Let’s just go down to do one dance and let me notify my advisors and the leaders before we can leave.” Anna knew the girl wasn’t planning on staying long at the ball. Elena did tell her that these kinds of events weren’t her thing on the first night that they had met after all.

“I can’t take you away from this event, Anna.” Elsa started.

“You’re not taking me away from it.” Anna argued. “I want to leave and spend time with you. If anything, I’m taking you away from it.” It was her time to take initiative.

“You wouldn’t be taking me away from anything important.” Elena chuckled, her lips going back to a small smile.

“Not even with Princess Cecilia?” Anna’s voice clearly leaked with insecurity and hostility. Elena shook her head, her azure eyes blinking away to that of amusement.

“I told you this before, Anna. Even if I may not have been in the best state of mind.” Elena intertwined their fingers together. “I would always want to be around you over anyone else. I choose you; I would always choose you.” 

At that statement, Anna couldn’t help but have hope fill her heart and adrenaline run through her veins.

“Okay.” Anna breathed. “We should get going.”

“Okay.” Neither of them moved, only staring deeply within each other’s eyes with Anna cradling the girl’s cheek.

“We should really get going.” Anna giggled, retracting her hand away from the competitor before moving forward to open the door to her chambers.

“Is this wise?” Elena squeezed their hands, signaling the hand holding.

“I don’t care.” Anna answered, pulling the girl into the hall, closing the door before guiding her back towards the West Wing. She didn’t care about what other people would think. There was already speculation enough about their relationship. Nonetheless, regardless if Elena was the Occult Demon or not, Anna was, and still is, drawn to the girl.

The pair arrived at the ballroom, and as people started to whisper and murmur when they noticed that Anna and Elena were holding hands, neither paid no thought to it.

Instead, Elena guides Anna towards the dance floor and starts moving about with the younger girl in the most playful manner. The song that was currently playing was more freeform, allowing Elena to jokingly dance around with the Queen in her arms.

As the two moved around the ballroom, Anna couldn’t help but fall deeper into the competitor. How she was kind and benevolent; how she can jokingly move around the room, not caring about a single thing, whether if it’s other people’s murmurs or their judgmental looks; how she guided Anna through the room in a way that no one else has - not even Elsa.

The more flexible song had calmed down and a slower song transitioned in. Anna held tightly onto the competitor, implying that she wanted to dance to this song with the older girl. Elena only smiled and nodded her head, taking the lead as the two moved in tandem throughout the dance floor in a close proximity.

“I didn’t take you as a dancer.” Anna teased.

“I’ve just had years of practice, especially since my friends love to ballroom dance.” Elena admitted, spinning the sovereign before pulling her close once again. Anna giggled, falling back into the security of Elena’ s arms as they continued to move around the room.

“After this, come with me to talk to Kallum before we leave.” She wasn’t going to risk losing Elena again in the sea of people and to someone else.

“Okay.” The competitor agreed as the song came to an end. Anna took Elena’s hand and pulled her towards the front of the room where Spymaster Kallum stood. The grey-eyed man looked down at their intertwined hands with a raised eyebrow. Once the pair stood in front of the Spymaster, Anna went straight to the point.

“I’m going to leave the ball. Can you please notify my advisors?”

Kallum looked between the two before shaking his head, closing his eyes in a chuckle. “Why am I not surprised that you would ask me to tell your advisors?”

Anna pouted. “You handle them the best. They don’t make your life difficult or give you an attitude.”

“Fine, fine.” Kallum waved at the pair. “Off you two go. Let me deal with the dirty work.”

“Thank you!” Anna squealed, turning back towards Elena with her bright teal eyes. The Queen proceeded to pull the competitor through the ballroom and out into the halls of the castle.

Elena allowed the Queen to guide her through the castle halls, laughing at her need to get somewhere quicker. They walked through the garden once more, deciding to take the scenic route, before heading towards one of the paths that led north.

The blonde allowed the redhead to lead the way, especially because she wasn’t sure where they were exactly going. They eventually arrived at one of the towers that had an endless number of stairs leading upward. As Anna continued to pull along Elena, the latter could tell that Anna was getting increasingly tired.

“We can stop to take a breath.” Elena suggested. Anna shook her head instantly.

“No, no! We’re almost there.” Anna continued to trudge up the stairs.

After a while, they eventually reached a door at the top. Anna opened the door, bringing the competitor in to show her the glass ceilings above them. Ahead of them was a ceiling to floor glass window that expanded from one side to another. The room was fairly quaint, the dark-colored wood seemed fresh and new while the walls were made out of smooth, dark-grey stone.

The Queen released Elena’s hand and moved to the corner of the room where there was a box. She opened it, pulling a few blankets and pillows before walking towards the center of the room to lay out all but one. Elena walked her way towards the middle of the room, seeing the Queen sit down on the small fort that she had made. Anna looked up, grabbing onto Elena and tugging her down.

Elsa sat down next to Anna, but the Queen proceeded to tug her down until they were both laying on the blankets side by side. The couple looked up into the sky with Anna tucked right underneath the competitor’s arm.

They were in the observatory of the castle. It was more so for seeing the stars and was recently remodeled and renovated. Elsa has never stepped foot in the observatory before which was why she was in such awe when she looked up to notice the bright, gleaming stars.

“The room was designed so that there weren’t any light tones. It gives it a more immersive feel with darker shades in the room and accentuates the stars and moon.”

“It’s breathtaking.” Elsa admired the shining stars.

“I figured that the first night, we got along because of our common adoration of the stars, and because this just finished, I wanted to take you here.” Anna smiled, basking in the warmth and feel of Elena.

The competitor looked down, a small smile on her face as she couldn’t help but notice the Queen, her hair in a crown braid and in her dark green dress. Elena reached a hand forward, petting the crown braid slightly. “Is this uncomfortable?”

Anna shrugged her shoulders. “It used to be before, but I got used to it after a while.”

“Would you mind if I…” Elena started toying with the ribbon that would help unravel it all. 

“Sure.” Anna’s teal eyes watched as Elena’s blue eyes focused on her braid, her soft fingers pulling at the ribbon gently to unravel her hair. The crown braid fell apart, displaying a single braid that Elena then proceeded to untie as well.

Anna smiled softly at the competitor, feeling her hair cascade across the pillows and the older girl run her fingers through Anna’s strawberry-blonde hair.

“That feels nice.” Anna hummed when Elena had softly massaged her scalp as she continuously played with Anna’s hair.

“Let me know when you want me to stop.” Elsa continued on to running her hand through Anna’s hair. The sovereign purred at the continuing touch.

“If I fall asleep, can we just stay here for the night?” Anna closed her eyes, enveloping herself in all that is Elena.

“I can carry you back to your room.” Elsa suggested.

The Queen shook her head against the competitor’s arm. “No, I want to stay here with you. Can you stay with me please?” She felt safe in this position with Elena this close to her.

“Okay.” Elsa heard Anna yawn. The competitor looked down at the girl, seeing her eyes closed as her breathing started to slow.

“Good night, Elena.” Anna murmured.

“Good night, Anna.” Elsa whispered tenderly.

And once again, Anna did not experience her usual nightmares with Elena by her side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHH thank you for your OVERWHELMING SUPPORT. It makes my day just reading your comments, seeing your thoughts and your continuous support :3 Thank you again for taking the time to read <3


	32. Routine

Anna snuggled deeper into the softness that was underneath her. She felt comfortable, safe and warm. It has been a while since she had a blissful sleep of nothingness. Her dreams were always rather her past memories or her nightmares - the only one exclusion was that night with Elena.

“Anna…” The angelic voice blessed her ears as she cuddled further into the warmth and softness. A blanket was draped over both of their bodies, providing the most optimal warmth, especially during a time where Arendelle was slowly transitioning into the winter season. She felt comfortable and at peace, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Hmmm?” Anna hummed. She could feel the girl beneath her slowly and tenderly tread her fingers through her hair. It felt nice, it felt like Anna was at the most blissful place in the universe. She can’t really remember what else can compare to this moment.

“It’s morning.” Elena reminded the sovereign.

“So?”

Elena laughed softly, continuing her ministrations. “Don’t you have some queenly duties you need to do?”

“I did enough this week.” She answered with a yawn at the end.

“Really now?” Elena was surprised. “How were you capable of fitting a whole week’s worth of work in the span of a couple of days?”

“You didn’t have any practices.” 

At that confession, Elsa couldn’t help her heart rate pick up. “And how does that relate to how you fit in a week’s worth of work in the past couple of days?”

“That meant that I couldn’t see you and was bored… so I did my work.” Anna stated nonchalantly.

“I don’t think that’s how it works.” Elsa laughed softly.

“I’ll deal with it later.” Anna hugged the girl underneath her tighter. “What would you want to do later in the day?”

“Anything you want to do.” Elsa mumbled. “I also grabbed you some hot chocolate.”

Anna fluttered her eyes opening, blinking them rapidly before looking up at Elena. “What? How did you do that? What time is it?”

“A little past ten.” Elsa smiled. “I ran down to the kitchen to request for one, and they gladly gave it to me.”

Anna watched through tired eyes as Elena reached over to the right, grabbing a cup and showing it to her. “Hot chocolate?” 

Anna sat up slightly so that she was on her knees, one knee in between Elena’s legs while the other was to her left. She reached over to grab the hot chocolate from Elena’s grasp, taking a sip with another hum. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Elsa felt warm. Her cold interior and exterior felt warm for once in a long time… well, not a long time if she considers the fact that she has only felt it around Anna. Ever since she started to learn more about the girl, her heart didn’t feel as empty - it didn’t feel as hard.

The redhead placed the cup right next to their heads before continuing to snuggle right into the competitor. She sighed in content, her head resting against Elena’s breast as she could feel the slightest movements of the competitor - from the steady rise and fall of her chest to her melodic heartbeat.

Elsa continued back to her ministrations of treading her hand through the strawberry-blonde hair (which was also at its usual mess). Nonetheless, the wild hair did not bother the competitor. In fact, a sense of nostalgia washed over her. Her nose was lightly grazing the top of the Queen’s head, inhaling her strawberry scent.

The two laid there in silence. It was a comfortable one for a while as they basked in the warmth of their bodies pressed against each other, the cold temperature of the outside somehow permeated into the observatory. The sky was cloudy, and it eventually led to the continuous rainfall that coated over the Kingdom of Arendelle. The soft pitter patter of the rain echoed within the room.

“What are you thinking about?” Anna’s teal eyes were looking at the competitor, studying her facial features and noticing that she seemed to have dozed off. She noticed how those eyebrows made the slightest movement in knitting together, how the corner of Elena’s bottom lip had gone inward, the top of her teeth biting onto it, and how those magnificent blue eyes looked off into the distance.

“Nothing.” Anna knew that there was a slight hesitance to it, especially because Elena never made eye contact with her. Typically, the competitor would gaze down at the younger girl, but it seemed that her eyes were still looking elsewhere.

The Queen moved her hand up so that it cupped Elena’s cheek, making the girl’s blue eyes focus onto the concerned, teal ones. Anna smiled softly, starting to rub the top of Elena’s cheek with the pad of her thumb, to which the competitor reacted positively by leaning more into the touch. “What’s in that pretty head of yours?”

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” The competitor replied.

“You won’t make me uncomfortable.” She didn’t know what the competitor would say that would make her uncomfortable. “Besides, if it does then I’ll let you know.”

Elena, being someone who has always gotten to the point, immediately asked, “Why were you afraid of me?”

It was Anna’s turn to have her eyebrows knit together and furrow in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Elena exhaled a breath. “As in after the mission with the real ambush…I saw fear flash in your eyes. You were scared of me in that single moment, and that was the reason why I wanted to give you space. I was afraid that you may just think of me as a monster, and that you regret ever spending time with me because you saw me for who I actually am.”

Anna frowned. “I was just…”

“I understand if you wouldn’t want to tell me.” Elena quickly rushed. “Everything is fine, I hope, and I should be grateful and happy for that.”

“No, no.” Anna reassured, continuing her ministrations on Elena’s cheek. “It was just… my nightmares, that’s all.”

“Am I?... Did I?...” Elena was genuinely confused now. How was she relevant to Anna’s dream?

“That nightmare I had when we were in that town…” Anna took a deep breath in, trying to calm herself. “It was one of my many nightmares I have. Lately, all I dream about are memories that pain me and nightmares.”

Elena nodded her head, signaling to the girl that she was still listening attentively.

Anna withdrew the hand from Elena’s cheek to wrap around the older girl’s waist. “Many of my dreams and nightmares involve Elsa.”

“Your past Protector?”

“The one and only.” Anna tried to laugh, shining light and humor to the situation. She felt Elena wrap both arms around her, one treading through her hair while the other was rubbing her back soothingly. She felt secured and safe.

“I dream of her regarding the memories we share together. The nightmare I had that one time was regarding her. She came back, but she was a Sigil.”

The mention of that caused Elena to freeze, her body tense and her mind quickly went into overload about possible situations, already planning solutions to each one if needed.

Anna, noticing the lack of touch from the competitor, only laughed. “Shocker, I know. Although, my nightmare starts off with her being a Sigil. She comes back, but she tells me that she never loved me, and I would always hold her back. I held her back from her potential and…” Anna’s bottom lip started quivering, her hold on Elena’s dress tightens.

“S-She kills everyone… on a snow-covered field. If she’s a Sigil, she has to be the Ice Queen since that’s the only Sigil with the Arendelle symbol on their back. She has these dark, stormy blue eyes as she looks at me with this look of coldness and emptiness.”

“And after I had killed all of those people…” Elsa had come to the conclusion. Anna lightly nodded her head against Elena’s chest.

“You guys have very similar features, and I couldn’t help but be brought back to my nightmare. I’m sorry, Elena.”

“No, no, there’s nothing to be sorry about.” The competitor hushed, pulling the girl closer to her before placing a small peck on the crown of her head. “I’m sorry you had to see that side of me. I shouldn’t have let it happen, but I don’t regret it. I needed to protect you.”

“I know.” Anna savored in the tight embrace that Elena held her in. “I came to that conclusion the following day. I know you wouldn’t have done it unless you needed to.”

“I’m sorry you had to see that.” the competitor’s voice ended with a high pitch. As Anna looked back up at those crystal blue eyes, she noticed them well up with tears. The Queen immediately reached the hand that was wrapped around the competitor’s face upward until it cradled the blonde’s face once more.

“You’re not a monster, Elena. You’re not Elsa. You’re different.” Anna whispered, attempting to try and calm the blonde down. Although, her words only caused those tears to fall. Anna was quick enough to catch those tears, wiping them with the pad of her thumb.

“You’re not a monster, Elena. You’re far from it.” Anna continuously consoled the girl, allowing her tears to fall free. With each fallen tear, Anna was there to always catch it. As the Queen continued to whisper affirmations to the competitor, the blonde made an attempt to try and subdue her crying.

The pair laid in the observatory, embraced in each other’s warmth with the rain pouring at a steady pace outside. Elsa knew that the uncontrolled tears that had fallen weren’t just because she had killed during the mission.

It pained her; it pained Elsa knowing that her disappearance and lack of return has made a large impact on Anna in the worst way possible. She was angry at herself. She was distressed, she was heartbroken and she was tormented at the fact that she had become Anna’s nightmares. That she had hurt the girl even if she wasn’t physically there.

* * *

The day proceeded with Elena needing to leave in order to check up on Olaf. Although she knew that the wolf was capable of being on his own, she had to make sure that he wasn’t waiting for her at the inn (she knew that Oaken would let the wolf wait in the lobby instead of outside at least).

Anna, having nothing else to do, followed the competitor back to her inn. Of course, there was back and forth within this regard because Elena did not want Anna to head out in the rain. The only reply she had received from the Queen was teal eyes hardening and a stubborn will.

So, the pair walked towards Oaken’s Inn with an umbrella over their heads. They shared an umbrella, but Elsa was persistent on holding it to make sure that the Queen was covered by it. Anna walked out in an olive-green sweater and black jeans - something that would help her blend in with everyone. Elena was persistent on the younger girl wearing the trench coat, wanting to affirm that she stayed warm if she was going to tag along.

Once they arrived in the lobby of Oaken’s Inn, a small bark sounded to the right. Olaf came running towards the two, immediately standing on his hind legs before placing his paws on Elena’s shoulders.

Elsa laughed, using her free hand to wrap that around the wolf and patting him on the back.

Oaken stood in the front, watching the scene unfold. Olaf proceeded to turn towards Anna, performing the same action so that he stood in front of the Queen with paws on her shoulder. The white wolf then proceeded to place its head onto the Queen’s shoulder.

“He likes warm hugs.” Elsa whispered softly next to the girl. 

Anna giggled, nodding her head before reciprocating the hug towards the wolf, who only released a merry bark.

“Let’s head up. Come on, Olaf.” Elsa whistled, closing the umbrella and shaking off the rain before heading towards the stairs. The wolf, who noticed his partner’s departure, barked and sprinted ahead of her to lead the way. 

The competitor turned around; her left hand extended out while the umbrella was tucked underneath her arm. “Would you like to come up as well?”

Anna looked at the sight before her, not able to hold in a small gasp at Elena being as chivalrous as ever. Her charming smile and her bright, icy blue eyes accompanied with her current stance made Anna swoon at the sight, as if she was being swept off her feet or taken on some magical adventure, even if it was just to Elena’s room.

The Queen nodded her head, offering the competitor a wide grin before accepting the hand. Instantly, she felt that familiar warmth once more as their fingers intertwined with one another.

“Is this alright?” Elena asked, her eyes looking towards their intertwined hands.

“It’s perfect.” Anna answered breathily. The blonde’s smile widened before she guided her towards the stairs which had a white wolf waiting patiently for them.

The two walked up the flights of stairs until they reached Elena’s floor. Olaf quickly ran towards the end of the hall, sitting in front of the door before turning his head to wait patiently for his partner and the Queen to come.

Elena chuckled and guided them towards the unit where she unlocked the door and allowed the wolf to quickly enter. Olaf ran to the couch, making himself comfortable on the couch before glancing at the pair at the door.

The competitor closed the door and released Anna’s hand. “Do you want anything to drink?” She started walking towards the kitchen.

“Anything is fine with me, thank you.” Anna answered, taking off her coat, walking towards the couch and sitting next to Olaf. The wolf instantly placed his head on the redhead’s lap and closed his eyes.

Elena arrived from the kitchen, holding two mugs and handing one to Anna. The Queen accepted the drink with a smile, looking inside to notice a chocolatey concoction within the mug.

“You spoil me too much.” Anna took a sip of her hot chocolate and hummed in content.

Elsa took a sip of her own hot chocolate, smiling fondly at the girl. “I don’t think so.”

“You give me hot chocolate every day.” Anna pulled the cup away from her lips.

The Sigil sat next to the Queen and placed the cup on the coffee table before stretching. “That doesn’t mean I spoil you.”

“Yes, it does.” Anna argued, still grasping onto the hot chocolate with both hands.

“Trust me, if I wanted to put an effort into spoiling you, you would have much more than just hot chocolate each morning.” Elsa laughed.

This piqued the Queen’s curiosity. She wanted to know more. “What would you do?”

“Well, I would make sure to always drop you off lunch or dinner if you’re working through your breaks with a truffle from that chocolate shop you can’t live without.” Elena started. “I would also make sure that you get your breaks and take you out, whether if it's only as small as walking through the castle gardens or going to stargaze.”

“I would try to help with your work, but most likely with the most mundane things considering that I don’t think I have the knowledge or capability to partake in the decision-making process of political matters.” Elsa continued pondering on. The list that Elena had given her had already revved up the Queen’s heart.

“I would be there for you, even if it’s just us sitting in a room silently. I would make sure to get you anything you need to make you comfortable, whether if it's food or if it’s a hug.”

Anna placed a hand over her heart in exaggeration, but also in an attempt to try and calm the organ. “A hug from Elena Snow?”

Elsa rolled her eyes. “Yes, a hug from the Elena Snow. In fact,” The blonde opened her arms with a smile. “Hug?”

Anna giggled, about to accept when Olaf shot up from his spot on Anna’s lap and dashed across the Queen to snuggle right on Elena’s lap. The competitor chuckled, wrapping her arms around the wolf before rubbing his back.

“You snooze you lose I guess.” Anna giggled, watching the scene unfold as Olaf squirmed about Elena’s lap.

“It appears so.” Elsa answered. Olaf looked between his partner and the Queen, his tail wagging excitedly. The wolf leaned his snout forward, giving a large lick on Elena’s cheek before reaching over to the Queen to give her small, dainty ones.

Anna giggled at the small licks from Olaf. The Queen reached over to pet his head gingerly, causing the wolf to hum in appreciation.

“Okay, enough, enough.” Elsa lightly patted the wolf’s back. Olaf turned his head, pouting at his partner before hopping off of her lap and onto the floor. He trotted his way around the couch so that he could claim his rightful place next to Anna, placing his head on her lap.

“What would you want to do?” Anna stretched her body.

“Anything. What would your majesty care to do?” Elena asked with a smile.

“Well, it’s raining so we can’t really go out.” Anna started.

“Do you want to make something, perhaps?” Elena asked.

“Sure.” Anna started, but she grabbed the competitor’s hand before she could move. “But first, let’s just talk.”

Elena tilted her head to the side. “About what?”

“Just about your life.” Anna asked with a smile.

“What about me?” Elena chuckled.

“Well…” Anna frowned. “I feel like I know some things about you, but not a lot of things.”

“What do you want to know?” Elena asked, tilting her head to the side.

“What is your favorite thing to do?” Anna gingerly rubbed the top of Olaf’s head, watching his hazel eyes slowly disappear behind his eyelids.

“I like to read and play chess. I also love to cook and learned how to overtime with the cooking competitions I had with my friends back home.” Elena pondered back towards the times she had with her friends. She really did miss them.

“What did you guys usually cook?” Anna asked, leaning her head against the competitor’s shoulder.

“It usually varies based on what the judge is craving.”

“What is your infamous dish?” Anna started to intertwine their fingers together. She needed to take initiative.

“I would say that I specialize in breakfast dishes.” Elena leaned her head towards the Queen’s, savoring the touch.

“That sounds good.” Anna started to savor the scent of vanilla and snow.

“I’ll make it for you some time.” Elena grinned, although she knew that Anna couldn’t see her smile.

“With the hot chocolate?” Anna asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I’ll make sure to make you my infamous hot chocolate.” The competitor affirmed.

“This isn’t your infamous hot chocolate?” The redhead gestured towards the cup on the table.

“Nope, I didn’t have my ingredients for the hot chocolate I usually make.”

Anna pouted, looking out the window to see the rainfall outside. “Too bad it’s raining.”

“It’s alright.” Elena consoled. “Next time, I’ll bring it over for you.”

Anna slightly pulled away from the competitor to look into her blue eyes. As much as she had wanted to have her promise, she knew that she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t hold the competitor to make promises for her. Who knows, maybe Elena would see promises as childish, maybe she would see them as something that the Queen didn’t take seriously.

Anna couldn’t bring herself to ask, she was too afraid after a series of broken promises that were made between herself and Elsa. Before she would place her head back on Elena’s shoulder, she saw a pinky rise in front of her face.

“I promise you that I will make you my hot chocolate and breakfast one day.” And in that moment, Anna felt her breath caught in her throat. She didn’t know what to say as she saw the pinky in the air, taunting her to wrap her own around it in order to seal the deal. She didn’t want to be led into false hope and empty promises. She’s had enough of that in her life already.

“How are you going to do that if Gerda and the kitchen expects me to eat breakfast with them?” Anna whispered quietly, her teal eyes focusing on those shining, icy blue ones.

Elena shrugged her shoulders before giving Anna a cheeky smile. “I’ll figure it out. Besides, we don’t have to eat breakfast foods during breakfast, right?”

Anna looked at those blue eyes and couldn’t help but feel a sense of belonging and security. Those eyes shined brightly, giving her a sense of trust and reliance. Anna reached her pinky upwards, wrapping it securely around the competitor’s and feeling not only the coolness of Elena’s skin, but for once, sparks and tiny jolts of electricity through that single touch. Her heart hammered against her chest until Elena loosened her pinky around Anna’s, releasing their grip and shaking the Queen back into reality.

“What do you like doing when you’re not doing your duties?” Elena laid back onto the couch.

“Oh I, uhmm…” Anna was still trying to catch her breath while Elena only looked at her with a raised eyebrow. 

“I like to take walks!” She quickly blurted out. She wasn’t necessarily lying… Anna loved the outdoors and always enjoyed the scenery.

Elena smiled. “I’ll remind myself to take you out on more walks.”

Anna felt her inside bloom with warmth once more at the smile that the competitor was offering to her. It was strange, bizarre and something that felt unfamiliar to Anna. She yearned for more, she craved for more.

“Is there anything else you like to do?” Elena asked, scooting a bit closer to the younger girl so that their thighs were touching.

The small touch made heat bloom from the point of contact for the sovereign. “I’m not sure.”

“What do you mean by that?” Elena seemed confused. There must have been more that Anna liked to do. The redhead only shrugged her shoulders, using her hand to lightly scratch the back of Olaf’s ear.

“I don’t know if there’s anything else I like to do. I’ve been just working for so long and trying my best for Arendelle that I can’t recall what I even did during my leisure time.” Anna confessed. Truthfully, ever since Elsa’s disappearance, all Anna could keep in her mind was being a better person for her Kingdom. As pathetic as it may sound, she solely focused on her studies, on history and on being able to be a proper sovereign for Arendelle. Besides her time with Elena, the last time she ever remembers doing things for her own leisure was when she was younger.

“Is that so?” Elena asked. For a second, Anna thought Elena’s tone was that of somberness, but she shook her thoughts out of it.

“I will let you know if there’s anything that I do enjoy doing.” Anna smiled sadly. The competitor leaned her head forward to place a small, chaste kiss at the crown of the Queen’s head.

“If you would allow me to, would you be open to trying new hobbies with me?”

Anna wasn’t expecting Elena to say this. She was utterly confused. “What do you mean by that?”

Elena smiled, and due to the height difference, Anna could see the faint curve of her lip. “I want to help you find things that you enjoy doing beyond just your duties. So, let’s do everything.”

“Really?’ Anna breathily asked.

“Yes, really.” Elena murmured. “You should be able to enjoy doing things in life. You should be able to live your life without having to be Queen take it over entirely.”

“Elena…” Anna started, her voice seeming to have disappeared.

“I will even help you if I can to free up any time you may need.” The competitor tried to reassure. At that moment, Anna knew that she was smitten and swooned over by the competitor that sat next to her. At that moment, Anna wanted to spend more time with the older girl. At that moment, Anna wouldn’t mind having Elena stay in her life for a long time.

“I would like that.” She answered.

“Perfect.” Elena released a small yawn. Anna had also given her own yawn.

“How did you meet Olaf?” She smacked her lips together, her voice trailing at the end.

“You seem tired.”

Anna placed her head on Elena’s shoulder. “Tell me the story.”

“It’s not much of a story.” Elena chuckled softly. “Olaf was a pup when I met him. I met my friends once they had found me injured and unconscious. They took me in, and Olaf was already with them, but had stayed by my side throughout my entire recovery. He’s been with me since.”

“Wait, injured and unconscious? How?” Anna yawned once more.

“I’ll tell you one day in the future but not now.” Elena offered to the girl. Anna, although tired and sleepy, detected the small uneasiness to the competitor’s tone. Assuming that the topic was sensitive, Anna only nodded her head against Elena’s shoulder.

“Okay, no pressure. You don’t have to tell me.” Anna felt her eyelids get heavy. “Can you tell me about a memory with your friends? Maybe during one of your cookoffs.”

Elena leaned her head against Anna’s. “Sure.” She could feel her cheek graze the softness of Anna’s hair. “As usual, the teams are split up between Frederick, Rachel and Malinda versus Amara, John and I for the cooking competition with Alex as the judge.” Elena started.

“Rachel and Frederick are dating, right?” Anna asks with another yawn.

“That is true.” Elena confirms. “We’re split into these teams and the competition for the night is cake. I’m not sure why we decided to compete baking cakes out of all things, but nonetheless, we did. The benefit of having Frederick on Rachel’s team is that he would listen to her. Rachel is the best cook in our house, but Frederick and Malinda are probably the worst and tied with Alex and John.”

Anna hums, signaling to the competitor that she is still awake.

“Frederick never sees eye to eye with Al\mara, but with Malinda, it’s always a hit or miss.” Elsa laughs as she ponders back to how that day had gone.

“There was definitely flour and sugar and baking ingredients all over the place. It all started because Alex had dared Frederick that he couldn’t make a flour imprint on Amara.”

“Aren’t they on different teams?”

“They are.” Elsa confirms. “Nonetheless, he attempts to do so, but John overheard and warns Amara about it. Somehow, Frederick ends up throwing flour at Malinda and a civil war breaks loose for Rachels’ team.”

“During this time, it’s just John laughing on the side, Rachel trying to calm the two down, Alex panicking at a prank gone wrong and Amara rolling her eyes while she continues to bake.”

Anna laughs softly with whatever energy she had left in her. “And what are you doing?”

“As the youngest out of everyone, my duty was to merely keep this in mind moving forward.”

Anna smiles. “Keep going.”

And Elsa does, she keeps continuing to tell stories with her Sigil friends, her second family, with having to replace the names. Nonetheless, the stories are truthful, all real and genuine with the omission of powers. She continues to share the stories, as if she’s sharing a piece of her life to the Queen. She wishes she could share everything with her, but she knows that because of her situation, that’s not feasible.

Eventually, Elena could feel the soft breaths of the Queen against her neck, signaling that the redhead had fallen asleep. From Elsa’s position, she couldn’t help but have her heart swell at the sight in front of her. Anna was sleeping against her shoulder, their hands intertwined while the Queen’s other hand was gingerly placed on Olaf’s back. The wolf snored lightly on the Queen’s lap, and the interaction and relationship between the two warmed Elsa from the inside out.

It’s been a while since she had felt this, but to her defense, the last time she had felt this sense of warmth was with the same girl that is currently causing it right now… just in different times of their lives. For once, Elsa felt the possibility of loving again becoming a reality. Even through five years of change, the blonde’s feeling for the younger girl had strengthened much more.

_Maybe absence does make the heart grow fonder._

Elsa leaned her head gently against Anna’s, embracing the warmth she radiated and her infamous strawberry scent that intoxicated the competitor. Even after all these years, Elsa knew that her compassion and love was always deep down in her somewhere. It was merely restricted, frozen and locked up because of her lifestyle shift. Nonetheless, the competitor never regretted each time she had visited Arendelle in the past five years - all 780 times.

“I’m glad that I met you.” Elsa whispered softly into the air before feeling her own eyelids weigh down onto her.

* * *

The week had gone by as quickly as it arrived. In the early parts of the week, Elsa would rise up early to greet Olaf. The Sigil fell into a routine of getting up, preparing herself in her usual attire before heading to the market to swing by Anna’s favorite chocolate shop and grab the Queen a hot chocolate and a black, hot coffee for Elsa herself. The competitor would proceed to walk towards the castle, arriving in front of Anna’s door at precisely 9:20 am, leaving the hot chocolate on the ground, knocking on the door before making her grand escape.

Each morning, Anna would open the door with tired eyes, looking down to see the expected hot chocolate with a smile on her lips. The Queen knew who was always dropping off the hot chocolate each and every morning, and each time she had seen the deliverer later that day, she would admonish her for not greeting her that morning. Elena would always shrug her shoulders, acting oblivious in regard to the morning hot chocolates before sending the Queen a small wink.

“It’ll lose the magic to it.” Elsa had argued one day when Anna had kept pushing. The Queen would only pout, crossing her arms.

“But I obviously know that it’s you.”

Elena would give the Queen a goofy grin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Their routine was fairly straightforward for the most part. Besides Elena dropping off the hot chocolate to the Queen, she would proceed to grab some complimentary breakfast provided by the competition. Elsa wasn’t stupid - she knew from the first day that Spymaster Kallum was watching her. Elsa would hope that Kallum knew that she was aware of his spying, especially because he knew that she was a Sigil.

Once Elena had grabbed breakfast, she would proceed to spend time with Eric. Whether they were taking walks around the town or the castle, the captain of the Silver Kitsunes seemed to still enjoy the blonde’s presence. Through their time spent together, Elena learned more about Eric’s life back home. His only reason why he was in the competition was because he wanted to win the prize money. Even if he didn’t win the prize money, Eric hoped that his exposure in the competition would draw people to his hometown, boosting the economy. He also mainly did it for Ursula, his girlfriend that seemed to have a weak immune system.

Once the afternoon rolled in, Elsa and Eric would part to their respective practices, which conveniently was always at the same time. Elsa knew that the reasoning was most likely because Spymaster Kallum needed to be alleviated of his duty in watching Elena by training his team. She clearly knew that because the moment she had finished practice, she would feel the Spymaster’s eyes as she left the area.

The team practices were lenient. The remaining Golden Pegasuses continued to take the practices seriously. Although, when it came to the mock battles, many of the Golden Pegasuses were fearful of the captain except for one named Mulan. She only scoffed at them before deciding to take the lead in going against Elena’s team.

As usual, one thing that didn’t change was the fact that Anna made the effort to attend all of her practices. The Queen would be sitting on the sidelines on a nearby bench, whether if it was in the courtyard or on the beach, Anna would wait patiently with Olaf sitting next to her, the wolf’s head placed on her lap as his hazel eyes looked ahead in mere amusement and boredom as he watched his partner spar with the others.

Once the practices were over, Elena would greet the Queen with a smile, and the two would head back to the castle. As Elena had promised, the competitor would try to help the Queen with her work, whether it was double checking signatures or filing, the blonde was always there to help. They spent the rest of the afternoon in the grand library on the West Wing of the castle - the same exact library that they had met on the second day of the competition. At least once throughout the whole work session, Elena would swing by to sit next to the Queen, lightly tapping her fingers against the table and suggesting that they go on a break by walking through the gardens of the castle. The two found time to swing by the kitchen, grabbing day old bread before going to the gardens to feed the ducks. Olaf, being the wolf he was, would join them on their walks and ‘play’ with the animals around them. For the most part, the wolf spent his time rather in the forest or in the gardens after the Golden Pegasus’s practices.

Once the sun had set, the two would venture off to grab ingredients from the market to cook back at Elena’s or grab takeout. Eventually, they would end up somewhere in the Kingdom, most likely a scenic place, as Anna had mentioned she enjoyed, and share stories of their past, debate on absurd hypotheticals and ponder about the short-term future and present. They never really discussed the long-term future; they were both afraid of bringing up what is to come if Elena were to be eliminated, or if she were to come out victorious in the end. On some nights that they had decided to stay in, Elena would suggest discovering other things that Anna enjoyed doing.

The competitor discovered, not much to her surprise, that the Queen didn’t enjoy reading by herself, but instead, she enjoyed listening to other people reading to her. Anna disliked darts due to her horrible aim and loved to dance to everything and nothing.

In fact, as they sat in the West Wing library in the later hours of the night, Anna felt herself being twirled around by the competitor. She giggled lightly, being brought back to Elena’s arms as they continued to move to the sound of nothing.

“Better.” Anna noted, swaying. The Queen had pointed out earlier in the week how Elena needed to improve on her twirls, to which the competitor had rolled her eyes and mumbled a ‘I don’t twirl people often.’

“Thank you.” Elena smiled, continuing to move around the library and guide the Queen about.

“You did great during the tournaments, by the way.” Give it to Anna to notice the competitor’s movements. Seeing as how much time the Queen had spent with the blonde, some might even think that Anna could have been the head of the Elena Snow fan club.

“Thanks. It’s unfortunate how my team placed second.” Elsa sadly replied, thinking back to how the Silver Kitsunes had come out on top from their match earlier that day. She didn’t realize that her team would celebrate so intensely to the point where half of them were still hung over the following day against the Silver Kitsunes.

Anna rolled her eyes. “Your team is a reflection of your leader.”

Anna’s comment made Elsa giggle slightly, causing the Queen to grin triumphantly. When the redhead was able to elicit even the tiniest laugh from the competitor, she thought it was the most awarding thing in the universe. Anna always loved Elena’s laughter.

“Although, the Silver Kitsunes are not a reflection of Spymaster Kallum, don’t you think?” Elena took two steps right and Anna followed in suit, understanding the transition to their dance.

“No one can keep up with Spymaster Kallum. He’s too intense.” Anna stated as her footing organically matched that of Elena’s.

“That is true.” Elena twirled the girl once, twice, three times before Anna fell forward into the competitor’s chest.

“Too much spinning.” Anna giggled, her head coming back to normal.

“Sorry.” Elena smirked, keeping the Queen close as Anna was still pressed against the competitor’s chest.

Anna noticed the smirk and released a breath of laughter. “Or was that additional spin intentional?”

Elena’s heart was pounding against her chest, and she could have sworn that she saw Anna’s teal eyes slightly darken. She knew the Queen could feel her heartbeat, especially because Anna’s ear was pressed up against Elena’s chest, right where her heart resided. The two swayed throughout the West Wing of the library, little to no space in between them as they continued moving.

“Can you feel my heartbeat?” Elsa decided to ask the obvious in a low voice, continuing to keep the redhead close to her.

Anna only nodded her head in response. Due to the close proximity, Elena could feel the movement against her chest. “Being around you, especially being this close to you, has always made me feel like this. Maybe not when we initially met, because you were a pain.” Elsa chuckled as she could hear Anna grunt. “But afterwards, I grew to like your company and I appreciate your persistence to this day.”

“Only like?” Anna lifted her head from Elena’s chest, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

“I thoroughly enjoy your company.” Elena said with a smirk. Anna rolled her eyes.

“Admit it, you love spending time with me.” Anna said with a slight tone of cockiness to her low whisper.

“Hmmph.” The pair stopped moving as Anna gazed deeply into Elena’s eyes. Her arms were wrapped around her neck while Elena’s arms were wrapped around her waist. All she had to do was lean up, but she wasn’t sure if she should. Would they be moving too fast? Elena was still a competitor after all.

When Elena’s gaze shifted down to Anna’s lips, the Queen knew that this was the perfect opportunity. Both parties had wanted this, and all they had to do was commit for it.

Before either could make the move, the sounds of knocks against the West Wing library door were heard. Immediately, the two jumped apart from each other as the door opened. Elena had her gaze nervously casted down, the blonde running a hand through her soft, platinum blonde tresses while Anna looked ahead to see who the intruder was.

Eric grinned, looking between the two with a box in his hands. Anna raised her eyebrow at the man, but she couldn’t help but feel a tinge of disappointment at the missed opportunity.

“Hey guys!” Eric closed the door behind him and walked towards the pair with the white box still in hand. Elena looked up, her icy blue eyes meeting Eric’s sapphire blue ones. The competitor’s eyes narrowed at the man, but Eric continued on towards the pair.

“I brought desserts! A little celebration for the end of week two of phase two.” He opened the box, unveiling a box of chocolate chip cookies. Anything chocolate related had Anna’s mouth watering as she looked at the simple dessert in front of her.

“Cookies!” Anna exclaimed like a little child. The young girl reached forward for one, taking it into her hand before taking a bite of it and humming in delight.

“Exactly! I was hoping if we could just have a game night, maybe a game of Pictionary? Or charades! I’m tired of going out.” Eric chuckled, the box in his hand shaking as he eyed the blonde.

“That sounds like fun. Let’s do it.” Anna agreed, looking at Elena for affirmation. The competitor smiled at the Queen, nodding her head before accepting a cookie.

“Great, let’s get to it.” Eric cheered, taking out pieces of parchment and pens.

* * *

Elsa walked into the ballroom with her duffle bag of all of her clothing on her back. She had a coffee cup in one hand as her blue eyes swept across the room. All of the competitors were told to check out of their respective inn, signaling that it was not necessary for them to continue to stay from then on. Of course, Anna was aware of this tiny detail, and as a result, after the game night with Eric, to which Elsa had discovered Anna really enjoyed games, drawing and charades, Anna had tagged along with the blonde competitor back to her inn.

Eric had returned back to his own room at Oaken’s Inn, but Anna had wanted to spend more time with Elena. The two laid on the competitor’s bed, talking deep into the night until sleep had snuck up on them.

The following morning, Anna woke up to the smell of breakfast. Her mouth salivated slightly while she looked across the bed, noticing that Elena was absent. Swinging her legs off of the bed, the Queen trudged out of the bedroom and towards the decadent smell that filtered the living room and kitchen.

Elena stood there, two plates of pancakes, another two plates of omelets, hash browns and bacon was already set on the mini bar. The competitor just poured a dark liquid into one cup before handing it to the Queen with a smile. 

“Hot chocolate every morning, right? And don’t forget that breakfast I had promised you.”

Anna felt her stomach twist and turn in the most delightful way possible as she accepted the drink, taking a sip of the hot chocolate and falling into a blissful state. With the addition of Elena’s homemade breakfast, if the blonde girl didn’t win the competition or accept a position as her Protector, Anna wouldn’t mind hiring her as her personal chef.

Eventually, Anna had to head out early to help prepare for the day’s events. Elena nodded her head, but instead of letting Anna leave on her own, the blonde competitor quickly grabbed her duffle bag that she had packed the night before to leave with the Queen towards the castle.

Of course, Elena had arrived earlier than expected. Once Anna had safely entered the castle, the blonde competitor decided to roam the town of Arendelle, stopping by another stand to grab a hot coffee before heading back towards the castle.

And now, here she was, watching all of the competitors filter into the room. Whispers and murmurs filled the air as all of the competitors wondered why they had to pack their bags and report to the ballroom. It relieved most of the competitors that the Southern Isle Princes also had to pack their bags and report to the ballroom. It gave them peace of mind knowing that they weren’t targeted in getting kicked out of the competition.

The three leaders of the teams stood on the stage with Anna sitting on the make-shift throne. Each leader had a piece of paper in their hands, a clear sign that they were going to announce who was eliminated from week two of phase two of the competition.

Spymaster Kallum was the first to step forward with a smirk on his face, as if he was glad to be eliminating his team members. “Alright now, today will mark the end of phase two and the beginning of phase three. Only sixteen of you will continue on to the next part of the competition, and the names that we will say are those who have made it past the second phase.”

An eruption of murmurs echoed within the hall. Kristoff shook his head, taking a step forward as his voice bellowed throughout the ballroom. “Settle down. I will be announcing which Copper Cerberuses have made it to the third phase. The Southern Isles Princes, including the captain, Prince Hans, and Li Shang have made it into phase three.”

Before everyone could start whispering, Spymaster Kallum’s voice echoed through the ballroom. “The Southern Isle Princes and the captain of the Silver Kitsunes, Eric, have made it into phase three.”

This only left six spots left for the Golden Pegasuses. There was a bit more hope for the competitors on the Golden Pegasuses considering that their team only consisted of fifteen people.

Hercules cleared his throat, looking at his list before he chuckled at his own handwriting. “Mulan, the four Southern Isle Princes and Elena have qualified to the third phase.”

At the announcement of the top sixteen, all of the competitors who did not make it grumbled. Spymaster Kallum clapped his hands twice. “That settles it. We, as leaders, applaud you for your performance these past two weeks. Unfortunately, we are only allowed to pick sixteen of you to move on to the third phase. Thank you for participating in the competition, and safe travels if you plan on going back to your hometown.”

With that, all of the competitors except the twelve Southern Isle Princes, Eric, Shang, Mulan and Elena stood in the ballroom with luggage in hand. The Princes each had their own luxurious suitcase while Eric, Shang and Mulan had a standard suitcase. Elena was the only one that seemed to have a duffle bag which was still slung over her shoulders. Kristoff had left once the eliminated competitors had left, deeming that he needed to get back to training the Royal Guards. Meanwhile, Hercules had retreated since he had matters he had to deal with in Arendelle. This left Spymaster Kallum and Anna in the room with the sixteen competitors.

“Congratulations to those who have proceeded to the third phase. During this phase, you will be carefully watched and scrutinized. You will no longer be under our training. In this phase, you will be tested based on your lifestyle and socialization skills. You will be required to attend every social event and anything else that we may throw at you. Furthermore, you will all be staying in the castle of Arendelle in the South-West Wing. You will each be assigned to your own room and your move starts today.” Spymaster Kallum announced. He now held a bag that most likely held keys to their rooms.

“Please come on up to retrieve the key to your room. Once you do so, you are free to do as you wish: Live however you would want to live. We will notify you of mandatory events or gatherings that you must attend by sending you notes. Besides that, we wish you the best of luck in phase three.” Spymaster Kallum finished.

The Southern Isle Princes had already lined up first for the keys to their room. Mulan and Shang had grabbed theirs shortly after while Eric and Elena were the last to grab their keys. The Princes, Shang and Mulan had already departed for their room.

“Elena.”

The blonde competitor turned her head towards the voice, her blue eyes falling deep into those kind, teal ones.

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

Anna softly smiled when Elena had addressed her. “Congratulations. I look forward to see how your performance goes for phase three.”

Elsa knew that moving forward, she would be watched. She could already feel eyes focusing on her from somewhere nearby. Anna hated it when the blonde had addressed her formally, but Elsa knew that things would be slightly different moving forward.

The gaze that Elena and Anna shared provided mutual understanding and communication between both parties. They knew that they couldn’t continue what they had been doing the past week - there would always be eyes following them, especially Elena. Eyes that would follow to see her every move, judge her and assess her every action and movement. This was phase three of the competition - the phase that didn’t judge based off of combat, but judged based off of social, moral and situation standards.

This was the phase that Jack had warned Elsa about. Jack knew that Elsa, the youngest Sigil in both age and experience, was more than qualified to outperform everyone, including the other Sigils, in everything. He wasn’t concerned about phase three because of the social aspect.

This was the phase that Jack was most concerned about for Elsa. It wasn’t because he didn’t think that Elsa couldn’t perform well in the third phase. 

It was because Jack knew that it was a test on if Elsa could restrict her addiction and infatuation to the Queen and vice versa.


	33. I like you in a way...

Elsa had dropped off her items in the room that was assigned to her in the castle. Conveniently, her room was located close to the West Wing of the library. The Sigil knew that she would still go to the library, regardless of whether or not she had to avoid Anna. After unpacking her items, the Sigil had noticed another presence in the room. She turned towards the gaze and met grey eyes that looked at her with a glint of amusement.

“Spymaster Kallum.”

The Spymaster leaned against the wall and offered the Sigil a grin.

“Congrats on making it to the third phase, kid.”

It’s been a while since the Spymaster had ever addressed the Sigil by his term of ‘endearment’ for her. She was always addressed by Elena from him, but hearing the endearment threw Elsa back into a state of nostalgia.

“Thanks.”

Kallum’s grey eyes suddenly became serious as his eyes narrowed onto the girl. “You do know that because you’re in phase three -”

“I understand. I know that you’ve been watching me ever since the day after the mission for the Golden Pegasuses.” Elsa confessed, crossing her arms and looking at the man much more clearly.

“I knew you would.” Kallum chuckled. “You’re as perceptive as ever when it comes to everything but your love life.”

Elsa rolled her eyes. “Are you only here to warn me? About how I can’t do things I did with Anna?”

“Well, I would have thought you would know, but best to warn you considering that I may not be the one always watching you.”

“You’re still assigned to watch and spy on me then?” Elsa asked curiously.

“For the most part, I am. Although, as Spymaster and lead when it comes to phase three, I have to also deal with managerial matters; therefore, there would be others that would watch you at times.”

“Can I just have a request?”

Kallum scoffed jokingly. “Already asking for requests? Not starting off in a great place, kid.”

Elsa sighed and looked away. “Can you make sure that you’re only watching me between 9 am and 9:30 am?”

Kallum’s forehead creased in confusion. “Why that time specifically?”

Elsa laughed. “You know why. Do you want me to bring you a coffee while I drop off hot chocolate?”

Kallum rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine.” He looked towards the door. “You better bring me coffee.”

“I will.” Elsa answered with a cheeky grin. “Is that all you wanted to stop by and discuss?”

“No. I’m here to also tell you that there is a ball tonight celebrating the top sixteen that have made it into phase three of the competition. Please report to the ballroom by sunset. Furthermore, you will have to eat brunch with the Queen and the rest of the competitors tomorrow.”

Elsa laughed. “Why not breakfast?”

Kallum scoffed. “You know exactly why, Miss always-dropping-off-hot-chocolate-and-sometimes-pastries”

Elsa grinned. “I’m assuming you had a play in this?” 

“Don’t expect it too much, kid.” Kallum chuckled. “There will be breakfast events, but I’ll make sure to notify you, so you don’t drop off a pastry or breakfast for the Queen.”

“Sounds good to me.” Elsa answered with a smile.

“Alright, see you tonight kid.” Kallum said with a nod of his head before leaving her room.

Elsa sighed, about to jump back onto her bed for a quick nap when she realized that there had to be a spy watching her soon now that Kallum had left.

“I guess I should get to training then.” Elsa grumbled to herself, making sure that her sword was firmly equipped onto her belt before she departed out of her room and towards the forest.

It felt different when Elsa had practiced past 2 pm. Usually, she would retreat with Anna back to the castle where she would then proceed to help her with her work, but that couldn’t be allowed. Throughout her entire time practicing in the forest, Elsa could feel two pairs of eyes on her. As she threw her daggers at the pink ribbons tied throughout the forest, she can barely hear the small gasp from one of the two.

_It must be a lower tier spy and an upper tier one._

Elena felt her stomach grumble. With a small frown, she knew that she could always go back to the castle to request a meal from the chef, but she didn’t want to burden the elderly man.

So instead, the competitor went to grab all of her mini daggers before walking towards the stream. She could hear the small rustle that the mediocre spy had created, and only rolled her eyes while she arrived at the river. Elsa bent down to roll up her tights so that they wouldn’t get wet once she stepped into the flowing river.

She looked ahead, spotting some of the fish that were swimming downstream. Withdrawing a few of her mini daggers, she precisely watched them swim down, and at the exact moment, she threw the mini daggers so that it spiked the fish, instantly killing it in that moment.

Elsa bent down to pick up the three fishes. She stepped out of the river, laying the fish on the bank before scurrying into the forest to grab a few things to start a fire. Once she had her necessary items, she set up the campfire and a make-shift mechanism that allowed her to evenly roast all three fish.

The fish were finally roasted as Elsa proceeded to grab some salt and pepper in her pouch. She always carried them in the case where she had to cook in the wild. The blonde grabbed one fish, liberally seasoning it with more pepper than salt before turning around. She took a bite of the fish and gazed at the forest, exactly where the two spies were located.

“You guys must be hungry.” The blonde swallowed her fish. “Since you guys have been watching me even before lunch up until now, might as well have a bite to eat.” She then proceeded to gesture towards the fish.

The two spies appeared from the bushes and trees that they were hiding from. From the looks of it, Elsa was right when she saw one experienced spy and one newcomer. Although, the experienced spy was someone who had started around the time of her disappearance.

“How did you know?” the mediocre spy asked in awe as he approached the blonde. He grabbed the fish, taking a bite of it and humming in delight. The more experienced spy seemed to be in slight shock as he approached as well, grabbing the fish before taking a bite.

“I knew since I left the castle.” Elsa answered.

While Elsa sat eating her fish and observing the spies in front of her, her mind couldn’t help but wonder as to what the Queen was currently doing. Did she need help? Is her workload okay?

A frown made its way to Elsa’s lips. _Who’s going to be the one to tell her to take a break? To go on a walk with her? Who’s going to feed the ducks?_

Elsa’s blue eyes widened as she quickly scrambled onto her feet. The competitor consumed the fish quickly before putting out the fire and running towards the castle.

“Where are you going?” the mediocre spy asked as he saw the competitor scramble to her feet.

“Forgot about something!” The competitor yelled way into the forest. The spies didn’t move from their spot, only shrugging their shoulders as Elena sprinted towards the castle. She assumed that they were too tired, done with their shift or had given up on watching the competitor. Nonetheless, Elena continued to sprint towards the castle.

On the way towards the castle, the competitor stopped by a bakery and asked if she could purchase their day old bread. The baker only gave her a bewildered look before selling her the day-old bread that no one desired. Quickly paying the baker and thanking him, the blonde proceeded to sprint through the town.

Eventually, Elena arrived at the courtyard, entering into the castle and cutting through a series of halls before she arrived on the West side of the castle. She stood at the main garden of the castle which held a large lake. Clutching onto the bag of bread in one hand, the competitor made an attempt to catch her breath at the entrance of the main garden.

“Are you alright, Elena?”

Elsa looked up, still catching her breath, and met the most beautiful yet curious teal eyes peering at her with curiosity. The Queen was dressed in her more casual attire - the usual black dress with boots and her strawberry-blonde hair flowing down smoothly. The sight of the Queen had the competitor’s heart racing and yearning to keep her around. The competitor missed the Queen dearly, even though they had only seen each other this morning.

“Yes, I’m alright. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty.” Elena answered with a small nod.

The Queen smiled at the competitor before her teal eyes gazed down to the plastic bag of bread. Anna’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What is that you have?”

Elsa looked to notice that Anna was gesturing towards the bag of bread that she held. “Oh.” A small flush rose to Elsa’s cheeks. “I… uhm… well,” she took a deep breath. “I would usually feed the ducks with someone around this time each day, but that person won’t be able to join me for quite some time.”

“Oh.” A mischievous grin arose on Anna’s lips. “Well, would you mind if I accompany you? I wouldn’t want to leave you alone in feeding the ducks because of your companion’s absence.”

Elsa smiled, understanding Anna’s intentions. “Are you sure, Your Majesty? I wouldn’t want to bother you or put a burden on your duties and responsibilities.”

Anna shook her head. “No, no. I insist.” Anna emphasized with a wiggle of an eyebrow. It took every ounce in Elsa not to roll her eyes and laugh at the girl. 

“Alright, Your Majesty. Thank you for joining me.” Elena smiled at the girl, offering the Queen her arm. Anna, understanding how they couldn’t casually hold hands, accepted the competitor’s arm and allowed the blonde to lead her towards the lake. As the pair arrived towards the lake, they moved as they usually had before. Elena would reach into the bag with the bread, breaking off half before handing it to the Queen.

The ducks, that were floating along the lake, noticed the pair and swam their way over towards the Queen and the competitor. The pair broke the bread into smaller pieces to feed to the ducks. Throughout the entire time, Anna couldn’t help but glance towards the older girl. The last time that she had seen Elena was earlier that morning, and yet, it seemed like a lifetime ago that they had spent time with each other.

To say that she missed the unexpected routine that she had fallen into with the competitor would be an understatement. She dearly missed the blonde, and when she had worked in her own study for once, it felt empty and lonely.

It also didn’t help that memories of Elsa had flooded into her mind when she had stayed in their study for too long.

Anna’s hands were empty, and a small frown had sported her face when she realized that she had fed the bread to the ducks too quickly.

A small piece of bread was handed into Anna’s hands. The blonde looked up with eyes blinking as she noticed Elena had handed her the remainder of her bread. “You should feed the ducks.” The blonde smiled. “They like you more anyways.”

Anna bit the bottom of her lip, nodding her head shyly as she looked away from those affectionate, icy blue eyes and back towards the ducks.

Elena stood next to the Queen, watching as the sovereign bent down to give attention to the baby ducklings. Her heart couldn’t stop rapidly beating against her chest. She continued to gaze on in awe at how there could be someone so wholesome, so pure and so loving that could exist. She didn’t understand that, even after all the pain and hurt that Anna has experienced, she can still see the world in a brighter light and show love and affection to all walks of life.

Elsa always looked up to Anna because of this conclusion. She always admired Anna’s diligence and persistence. Did her stubbornness play a part in it? Possibly, yet after everything that the young sovereign experienced, she applauded her for still having such a strong will. All Elsa did was run from her problems and turn into an impassive, cold-hearted bitch. Well… the whole Sigil situation wasn’t something that she could run from.

When Elsa was around Anna, not only did she feel some sense of nostalgia, because let’s face it, they both had drastically changed, but she had felt a sense of warmth. She felt the need to care and could feel the organ in her chest start pumping warm blood through her veins again. That same blood that would cause heat to rise to her cheeks when the redhead was always around, the same blood that would have her fingers be a bit warmer than usual as they caressed the Queen’s hands, the same blood that warmed her inside and out whenever the younger girl looked at her with bright teal eyes and a smile that can destroy all evil in the world.

“What are your plans now, Elena?” The redhead stood up from her spot, dusting off any remaining crumbs that may have lingered on her hands.

“I’m not sure. I was probably going to head to the library to catch up on a bit of reading before I prepare for the ball tonight.”

Anna nodded her head. “Would you mind if I accompany you to the library? I should really get to work.”

Elsa tilted her head to the side. Was Anna not working in the library this entire time? “Of course, Your Majesty. Whatever you wish.”

Anna smiled fondly at the girl. “Great! My paperwork is in my study, so I would have to swing by the East Wing of the castle to grab it. Would you mind accompanying me there?”

The mention of the study in the East Wing had stunned Elsa. She was there the entire time? “Sure, Your Majesty. Anything you wish.”

Anna wrapped her arms around the arm that Elena had offered to her. “Thank you, Elena. Shall we proceed?”

The blonde only gave a curt nod as a response before allowing the redhead to lead them from the main garden towards the East Wing of the castle. The Sigil knew that, as they entered into the East Wing, the eyes that were once watching her from the outside had vanished. It was impossible to climb the East Wing of the castle; the way that the castle was built denied anyone from scaling the east side of the castle. Even Spymaster Kallum had mentioned to the Sigil about the blueprints and purpose behind it, and yet, after years of training as a Sigil, Elsa always perched herself in one of the towers on the east side of the castle when she had paid a visit to Arendelle prior to her mission.

She felt the gaze follow behind her, and so, the competitor kept up the act until they reached the end of the hall that contained a door. The Queen opened the door, pulled the Sigil in and closed the door behind them.

Once Elsa had stepped inside and the door was shut, the younger girl released an exasperated breath. “No one should be able to watch us here. The East Wing of the castle is unscalable.”

Anna inched herself closer to the competitor and wrapped her arms around Elsa’s waist. “I missed you today, Elena.”

Elsa naturally wrapped her arms around the Queen, placing her nose on the top of the girl’s head. “I missed spending time with you today too.”

Anna smiled, her grip softly tightening onto the competitor. “Who knew that the routine we fell into was something that I grew to miss.”

“I’m surprised as well.” Elsa chuckled. “You hate repetition.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “I enjoy spending time with you. Plus, we didn’t do the same thing every day.”

“What about when we go to the library to do work? And feed the ducks?”

“I’m with you and I enjoy doing those things with you.”

Elsa rolled her eyes. “You should get your paperwork before they become suspicious.”

“Fine, fine.” Anna pulled away with a pout. “I’m not surprised that you can tell when they’re watching you or not.”

Elsa shrugged her shoulders as Anna walked over towards the table. “I’m just really perceptive, that’s all.”

Anna proceeded to walk towards her desk to grab her paperwork. Meanwhile, Elsa couldn’t help but observe the study once more. Everything was where it was usually: to her left was the bean bag chairs that seemed to have gone untouched for quite some time, ahead of her was the grand desk and chair with a bookshelf in the back that were lined with books and on the corner to her right was a basket that held some blankets and pillows. While Anna was still organizing her paperwork, Elsa walked towards the balcony doors and gingerly opened them, allowing fresh air to filter into the room. The competitor stepped forward onto the balcony, peering across the ocean to the slight view of the city from where she stood. The sun was still shining brightly in the sky with barely a few clouds scattered about.

Elsa couldn’t believe that it has only been approximately a month since the competition had started, a month since - 

“This is where we first met.” Anna’s voice sounded next to Elsa. She turned her head, seeing the Queen look up at her with teal eyes.

“Do you remember? When you were out here, looking up at the stars?” Anna looked up at the sky, noticing the bright, sky blue tone to it.

“I remember.”

“Then you also remember how rude and cold you were.”

Elsa scoffed. “I wasn’t rude.”

Anna rolled her eyes, bumping her shoulders with the competitor. “You definitely weren’t welcoming.”

“To my defense, you were trying to force a conversation and I was trying to find some peace and quiet.” Elsa joked, bumping shoulders back to the redhead.

Anna giggled, looking back into those icy, blue eyes. “You also told me that I should never lower my expectations because others can’t meet them.

Elsa raised her eyebrow at the girl. “I hope you did listen to that piece of advice. Have you raised your expectations?”

“Somewhat.” Anna smiled before looking back at her desk. “We should really get going though, don’t want anyone to be suspicious. Help me with carrying my paperwork to the library?” The redhead started walking towards the stack of papers.

Elsa followed behind, closing the balcony doors and assisting the Queen with her paperwork. “Of course, m’lady.”

Before Elsa could pick up the paperwork that was on the desk, she felt a body instantly press against hers.

“Last hug before we leave.” Anna placed her head onto Elena’s shoulder.

Elena wrapped her arms around the younger girl once more, embracing the warmth that she was always capable of providing to her cold heart. The pair stayed in that embrace for the next minute before Elsa had to bring up the fact that she was being watched.

With a small pout and a nod of a head, Anna pulled away, raising her hands up to caress Elsa’s face. Her fingers grazed the corners of Elsa’s mask, offering the blonde a loving smile. Elsa only stood there, falling deeper and deeper into those sea-green eyes. She couldn’t help but be entranced, to be drawn in and lost into those eyes that brought her a sense of security. And Elsa hated getting lost. She hated not knowing what would happen and hated the idea of anything being unorganized and out of her control. Yet, with the girl that was currently cupping her face, she wouldn’t mind being lost for eternity and going to the ends of the earth if it meant being with her.

Anna smiled fondly at the competitor in front of her. “We should really get going.”

Elsa pouted, and Anna wanted to pinch those cheeks, but nonetheless, she released her hold on the blonde and allowed the competitor to grab her paperwork.

Once the pair was settled, the two had left the study located on the East Wing and made their way towards the West Wing. The minute that Elsa had stepped foot out of the study, she could feel eyes drill down onto her.

Elena followed the Queen’s lead, using both of her hands to cradle the overwhelming amount of paperwork that Anna had given her. As much as she wanted to comment about her paperwork, Elsa stayed silent as they made their way from one side of the castle to the other.

Once they had arrived at the library, as usual, they found it to be empty. Guests, especially the remaining competitors that made it to phase three, seemed to not have any interest in spending time in a library. Elsa couldn’t blame them - they were in a new city and living in a castle now. To Elsa’s benefit, or maybe detriment, depending on how you look at it, she loved spending time in different kinds of libraries.

“You can place the paperwork at the top.” Anna gestured towards the grand table on the third tier of the library, where the pair would usually spend their time working or reading.

Elsa nodded her head and complied to the Queen’s requests. She trudged her way up the stairs, careful not to let a piece of paper slip out of her grasp. Once she had placed the papers gingerly down onto the table, the blonde pulled the chair back for the Queen to take a seat.

Anna bowed her head, giving the competitor a smile of gratitude before taking a seat. “Please Elena, if you wouldn’t mind, would you want to sit next to me while I work?”

Elsa, with her back faced towards the glass pane of the library, gave the younger girl a smirk at her innocent intentions. “I would love to, Your Majesty. Please excuse me while I grab a book.”

And just like that, the two fell into place. Anna sat at the table, flipping through the papers. Meanwhile, Elsa sat next to the Queen with her back leaned against the chair, book in hand while her eyes scanned across the words on the page. On occasions, Elsa would shift her gaze up at the Queen and admire her little quirks: from the way she would bite her lip in contemplation to how she would scrunch up her nose when she came across something absurd.

Elsa was truly smitten, but she made sure that her gaze didn’t last too long considering that she was being watched after all. Anna made sure that their routine never faltered, always bringing a piece of paper to the competitor’s attention and asking her for advice on it in the most proper way. Anna omitted the jokes and eye rolls when interacting with the competitor but made the effort to try and make their routine as present as possible.

The day waned on until it was an hour before sunset. Anna was still in her state of concentration while Elsa kept note of what page she had left off of from the book. The competitor closed the book, offering the Queen a sad smile. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I wanted to notify you that I must head out to prepare for the ball tonight.”

Anna’s teal eyes widened. “Oh no!” The Queen scrambled her papers around. “I also have to get going.”

“Oh.” Elsa blinked her eyes. It wasn’t unbecoming of Anna to lose track of time. “Here, let me help you.” The competitor proceeded to reach her hand forward, helping to shuffle the papers in place.

Their hands intercepted as they both reached the same piece of paper. A small flush rose onto Anna’s cheeks while Elsa quickly retreated her hand. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

“No, no.” Anna shook the feeling of sparks through their touch. “Apologies. I think I have everything handled from here.” The Queen looked up, meeting those blue eyes. “You should get going.”

“Okay.” Elsa breathed, taking a step back before bowing. “I hope to see you soon, Your Majesty.”

Anna nodded her head, watching as Elena made her departure out of the library of the west wing. She couldn’t help but feel those sparks still course through her veins from the mere touch of Elena Snow.

Closing her eyes, Anna released a breath of frustration. God was she fucked.

* * *

As usual, Arendelle held another ball filled with nobles and royalty. Although, this ball was a bit more exclusive, a bit more extravagant, a bit more snobbish and polite in Elsa’s eyes. The ball was to be held to congratulate the sixteen that have made it into the third phase, and yet, Elsa felt that she was being watched with every move that she had made.

She took a small sip of her wine glass, sitting at a table as she looked about the ballroom. The Queen had just finished dancing with the eleventh Southern Isles Prince before she proceeded to be pulled into a conversation with a dignitary. Elsa leaned back in her seat and made sure that she wasn’t always staring at Anna.

A light tap on her shoulder had shook her out of her thoughts. The competitor looked up, meeting Eric’s blue eyes and cheeky grin. She couldn’t help but laugh at the man that stood in front of her. The man looked genuinely uncomfortable in a suit and tie.

Elsa had opted to wear something a bit more casual - a navy blue collared shirt and black slacks. She didn’t want to wear any dresses, especially after sleeping in one the last time there was a ball.

_It was worth it though since I was with Anna that entire night._

“Haha, very funny.” Eric grumbled. “Look, not all of us can wear whatever we want just because we’re the Queen’s favorite.”

Elsa rolled her eyes. “Not her favorite. She doesn’t have any favorites, Eric.”

The man waved her off in dismissal. “You can literally see and feel the favoritism oozing out of her when she’s around you.”

“Oh hush.” Elsa admonished. “Her and I haven’t even talked or interacted during the ball.”

“That’s because you haven’t approached her.” Eric crossed his arms. “And she’s been getting swept up by all those princes and other people, but I’m sure that once you do ask her, she would literally drop the entire world for you.”

“Sure, whatever you think.” Elsa tried to argue, but her response only caused the man in front of her to smirk.

“Okay, now come on. Get up.” Eric offered his hand towards the girl.

“What?” Elsa asked amusingly with a raise of an eyebrow.

“We’re dancing. Get off your ass.”

“Language.” Elsa scolded. “You do know that everything we do and say is a part of what we’re going to be assessed in.”

“Yeah, yeah, but does it look like I care? I’m not going to change the way I act or the things I say just because of the competition. Now, get up.” Eric wiggled his hand. Elsa only laughed before accepting her friend’s hand and allowing him to pull her up. 

The man proceeded to lead the casually dressed competitor towards the dance floor. He smiled at his friend. “I’m taking the lead by the way.”

Elsa’s eyes narrowed at the man. “Really?”

“Yep!” Eric smirked, already taking the necessary steps for him to be considered as taking the lead. In order to not make it so awkward, Elsa sighed and followed the man’s steps.

The two continued to move for the remainder of the song until Eric pulled away with grin. Another girl, most likely the daughter of a nobleman, had approached the pair and greeted Eric and Elsa. Of course, she asked Eric for a dance, to which Eric only shot Elsa a look begging her to leave.

Elsa rolled her eyes and allowed the man to dance to his heart’s content. Before she could make her speedy escape off of the dance floor, she felt a small tap on her shoulder. Turning towards the touch, she was met with raven black hair and hazel eyes. The girl that stood in front of her wore a light-yellow dress that reached to the middle of her thigh. The golden band that decorated the top of her head glinted brightly under the ballroom light.

“Good evening, Princess Cecilia.” Elsa greeted with a small nod of her head. 

The Princess smiled at the blonde in front of her, her hazel eyes obviously drinking in the sight in front of her. “Good evening, Elena Snow. Would you care for a dance?” The Princess offered her hand towards the blonde.

Elsa looked around the room, noting that Anna was dancing with Prince Hans. She sighed, nodding her head and accepting the Princess’s hand. She knew Anna had felt uncomfortable with her dancing with the Princess, but she also knew that there were all eyes watching her every move and hearing her every conversation.

Princess Cecilia grinned as she felt Elena’s hand clasp over hers and the competitor’s other hand gingerly placed on her hip. The competitor started guiding the Princess to move about the room.

“Congratulations on making it to the third phase, Elena.”

Elsa’s eyes wandered everywhere except for Princess Cecilia’s. Her blue eyes fell onto Anna, who had her head kicked back, eyes closed with laughter as Hans tried to swoon her. A small frown naturally made its way onto Elsa’s lips. Why did she have a feeling that this was a sense of deja vu?

“Thank you, Princess Cecilia.” Elsa responded without looking into those hazel eyes. The two continued to move through the music. To anyone else, Princess Cecilia would have been a phenomenal dance partner, but it just didn’t feel natural and warm to Elsa.

“Is something on your mind? Is there something wrong?” Princess Cecilia’s voice laced with concern. Her worried voice had caused Elsa to look back towards the Princess, meeting those eyes that were filled wuth consideration and care.

Elsa chuckled lowly. “No, there’s nothing wrong.”

“I just worry about you, that’s all.” The Princess confessed as they continued to move about the room.

This caused Elsa to tilt her head to the side in confusion. Why was the Princess concerned about her? She was just another competitor after all. “Why?”

Princess Cecilia gave Elena a soft smile. “Because I care about you, Elena Snow. You’re different from the rest.”

Elsa looked into those hazel eyes, wondering why she captured the attention of the Princess. She was just an ordinary girl who came to win this competition. She didn’t do anything extraordinary to win the Princess’s heart. She didn’t give her the undividing love and attention that other people had given her. She didn’t even initiate to spend time with her.

In fact, it was Princess Cecilia who was here, offering the Sigil everything that she could. This raven-haired girl that she held was always the one to approach her, always the one to initiate and always the one to want to spend time with her. And here Elsa was, being a shitty person by not giving the Princess her utmost attention.

Elsa breathed out. Maybe she needed to be more considerate.

“What makes you think that I’m different?” Elsa asked, intrigued as to what the younger girl had to say.

“Well… you don’t go to ends to try and appeal to me. You didn’t know nor care who I was, and you aren’t sickeningly sweet purely to get on my good side for reputation purposes.”

“That’s fair.” Elsa looked back at the girl. “But I’m sure not everyone does that.”

“It sure seems like it.” the Princess grumbled. Now that Elsa had thought about it, there were more eyes on her than before. Was it all the other people around the ballroom that were watching her every move? Did the spies focus their attention on her?

When Elsa looked past Princess Cecilia’s head, in that exact moment, she saw teal eyes glare towards her. Anna, with her hair in a crown braid and wearing her green, regal dress, glared straight towards Elsa and the Princess. The Queen’s eyes filled with a fire while Prince Hans was trying to whisper sweet nothings into her ear.

Blue met teal and in that exact moment, Anna’s eyes narrowed at the older girl. Although, because of their movement throughout the ballroom, their eye contact immediately broke as soon as it started.

Princess Cecilia hummed. “It seems that I have competition.”

Elsa’s blue eyes focused back onto the Princess’s hazel ones, seeing it look past her shoulder. “What?”

“Well, Queen Anna is giving us the death glare, but I feel like it’s more catered towards me and less you.” 

“Oh.” As the song ended, Princess Cecilia kept her grip on the competitor. The Princess looked back into her blue eyes, offering a shy smile.

“Another dance?”

Elsa knew she couldn’t say no. I mean, she could say no, but she also knew that the spies were watching her. It would be unbecoming if she had rejected the Princess just to drift back towards the tables.

“Of course, Princess Cecilia.”

At the blonde’s answer, her hazel eyes brightened. “Great!” With that, the Princess continued to dance with the competitor. Although, before they started to move, Elsa could have sworn she heard a scoff, but it was quickly forgotten when she had felt lips against her cheek.

Her eyes widened in shock as Princess Cecilia looked up at her shyly. “Just a thank you for spending another dance with me. You really are saving me from dancing with everyone else.”

“I- uhmm…” Elsa cleared her throat. “It’s not a problem at all.”

The two continued to move throughout the dance floor. As they moved, Elsa noticed that Anna was still dancing with Hans, but it seemed that the Queen was a bit more tense.

“So, Elena,” her gaze looked back down to those hazel eyes that glinted with interest. “What are you planning to do once the competition is over?”

Elsa didn’t think that far. Anna and her never discussed the details of what would happen once the competition was over - whether or not she would win or lose.

“I’m not sure.” Elsa answered. “I would most likely head back to the Kingdom of Corona where my friends are.”

“Have you ever thought of possibly going elsewhere?” The Princess asked with a smile. 

“Such as?” Elsa spun the girl before bringing her back, and the Princess giggled at the mere action.

“Possibly the Kingdom of Zephyr? I know that our kingdom is known for strong winds and annual hurricanes, but besides that, it’s a nice and large kingdom.”

“I’ve never been there before.” Elsa answered. It was true. The Kingdom of Zephyr was fairly peaceful, especially because Princess Cecilia’s Protector was known to have powers.

“I would love to show you around one day.” Her hazel eyes glinted with mischief. “You’re always welcome to stay at the castle as well. I’m sure my father wouldn’t mind.”

Elsa only nodded her head, offering the Princess a polite smile before she noticed that there would be a portion of the song that would switch dance partners temporarily.

Princess Cecilia, noting the switch, looked up at the competitor before placing another peck on her cheek. She whispered breathily into Elsa’s ear. “I’ll come back to you, okay?”

Before Elsa could reply, she had to release Princess Cecilia so that the dance wouldn’t feel awkward and choppy. As soon as the Princess left her arms, another entered.

She was met with neat, auburn hair and teal eyes glaring up at her.

_Why does this feel like deja vu, but in a sense where two different occurrences were mixed?_

“Elena.” Anna greeted with a curt nod. The blonde looked at the girl quizzically.

“Your Majesty.”

“I see you have been dancing with Princess Cecilia for quite some time.” There was a bite to her tone.

Elsa only raised an eyebrow. “As with you and Prince Hans.”

Anna’s teal eyes softened just the slightest. “I’m only dancing with him because…”

“You don’t have to explain yourself, Your Majesty.” Elsa forced a smile. “You are free to dance with whoever you want. My apologies if that came off as rude and harsh.”

“Elena…” Anna’s teal eyes fully softened.

Elsa shook her head. As much as she valued the warmth that she had got from dancing with the Queen, she knew that she had to switch partners soon. She didn’t own Anna. She didn’t have a hold over the Queen’s heart. Anna didn’t give Elsa her heart. Not once did the Queen ever tell Elsa if she was romantically interested or not. Sure, they acted and touched one another in ways that a Queen and competitor shouldn’t, but Anna had only told her that she likes spending time with her.

Maybe Elsa was reading into this too much. Maybe Anna was never interested after all. Maybe everything that they had done and said was all purely platonic to the Queen.

It hurt because Anna had her heart when she was both Elsa and Elena. She had her heart in her past life, and in this life, she dug her way through and grasped onto it once more.

“I hope you have a good evening, Your Majesty.” Elsa said politely, bowing her head and twirling the sovereign away before she had a chance to say anything.

As soon as that warmth left, Elsa felt coldness once more. A familiar arm made its way back around her shoulder and a hand clasped over hers. Her blue eyes looked up to meet the hazel ones that had shown an interest in her ever since the second ball.

“I came back like I said, didn’t I?” The Princess smirked.

“You did indeed.” Elsa chuckled. The reaction that the Princess had earned from the competitor made her hazel eyes brighten.

“Tell me more about your lifestyle back at home.”

Elsa only shrugged her shoulders. “I just live with a few friends for quite some time. We met when I was wandering around the Kingdom of Corona, and something that was only supposed to be temporary had turned permanent.”

“That sounds wonderful.” Princess Cecilia smiled. The music came to a slow, but the raven-haired beauty still kept her hold on the older girl.

“Would you mind another dance? I enjoy your company.” Princess Cecilia admitted.

Before Elsa could provide a response to the girl, she heard quick steps approaching them followed by a familiar voice. “Ah, Princess Cecilia and Elena. Good evening.”

Elsa froze while Queen Anna eyed the pair. The competitor turned her head to see those teal eyes burning with a fiery passion.

“Good evening, Your Majesty.” Elsa greeted.

Princess Cecilia’s hazel eyes narrowed at the sovereign in front of her. “Good evening, Queen Anna.”

Anna forced a smile at the Princess of Zephyr before turning her attention to the blonde.

“Elena, would you care for a dance?”

Elsa froze, unsure of what to exactly do. Was she supposed to drop the Princess to dance with Anna? Was she supposed to turn down the Queen? Although, it seemed that Princess Cecilia had answered the question when she pulled the Sigil protectively towards her.

“Apologies, Your Majesty, but Elena said she would dance again with me.”

Anna’s eyes glared at the girl. “Did she now? Princess Cecilia, I think you should allow others to dance with Elena; give them the opportunity to be able to dance with this lovely individual.”

Princess Cecilia shrugged her shoulders, giving the Queen a smirk. “How about after this dance, I’ll give her the freedom to dance with whomever she wants to dance with. Maybe after this, would you care for a chat, Your Majesty?”

Anna paused for a moment. She straightened her back. “Of course, Princess Cecilia. Let’s discuss everything once you are done with your dance.” Anna then turned her gaze to the blonde. Anna offered her a soft, small smile. “I’ll be waiting for you, Elena.”

With that, Anna turned and walked towards the tables, deciding to leisurely drink and wait for the competitor to finish her dance.

Princess Cecilia scoffed as the music started and the competitor led the girl around the ballroom once more. “The nerve of that girl.”

Elena tilted her head to the side. “What do you mean?”

The Princess’s hazel eyes immediately drilled down onto the competitor. “Do you not see it?”

“No, I don’t understand.” Elena said, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. 

“I obviously have competition.” Cecilia muttered.

_Competition? What does she mean by that?_

“No matter.” The Princess straightened her back and offered Elena a fond smile. “She will have to fight for it, because I surely will.”

 _Fight?_ Elsa’s eyes widened. _I don’t want anyone to get hurt._

The raven-haired beauty looked back up to the blonde with a mischievous smile on her face.

“What are you scheming?” Elsa asked.

“Nothing, nothing.” Cecilia assuaged. “Let’s just continue dancing, shall we?”

Elsa didn’t question it. She allowed the dance to occur, but as the song continued on, she noticed how close the Princess was leaning towards her. It wasn’t until around the end of the song, where the Princess’s face was barely a couple of inches away from Elsa’s, that she.felt her breath caught in her throat.

Her breath tickled over Elsa’s lips. “I really am interested in you, Elena. I like you a lot where I wouldn’t mind bringing you back to court you.”

Elsa’s blue eyes widened as those lips immediately crashed into hers as the song came to a conclusion. The Sigil wasn’t sure what to exactly do, especially considering that she has never kissed anyone in the past five years. As soon as those citrus lips came into contact with hers, it immediately pulled away before the competitor could process anything.

Princess Cecilia’s eyes fluttered open to gaze up at the shocked, blue ones. The Princess coyly retreated, eyes glinting with satisfaction. She placed a small kiss on Elena’s cheek. “Thank you again for the dance, and I hope to see you before the night ends.”

With that, the Princess bowed to the competitor and turned, sauntering away with her hips moving towards a table that seated Anna. The Queen looked ahead, mouth agape and eyes wide with shock. Although, quickly enough, those surprised eyes shined with anger and fury.

Elsa felt a tug on her elbow. The competitor turned to see Eric look at her with a worried look.

“Come on, Elena. Let’s go out and get some fresh air.” Eric seemed like he wanted to urgently leave. Elsa nodded her head, following her frantic friend. Although, when she took into consideration of the environment, she noticed that everyone seemed to have been staring at her or at Princess Cecilia with mouth wide and agape.

The lighting around her dimmed as her and Eric had arrived in the halls. Eric released hold of his friend before throwing his hands up in the air. “What are you thinking?!”

Elena tilted her head to the side in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Eric blew out a breath of frustration. “You and Princess Cecilia! That smooch on the dance floor.”

“She’s the one that kissed me.” Elena pointed out.

“You should’ve seen that coming, Elena! Agh, do you know what you’ve done?” Eric seemed frustrated.

Elena raised an eyebrow at her friend. “No, I don’t understand what I have done. Is Princess Cecilia seeing someone? Did she cheat on them?”

“Agh! How are you so dense?” Eric muttered.

Elsa crossed her arms. “Excuse you, I am not dense. I think I can handle a fight.”

“No, no, not in combat!” Eric huffed. “You’re so dense when it comes to people’s interest in you.”

“In my defense, I didn’t think Princess Cecilia would kiss me. Besides, if she’s not seeing anyone, I see no harm in it.”

“You… Gah!” Eric groaned. “You’re a great friend and you’re so observant to everything that doesn’t regard you.”

Elsa was about to rebuttal when she heard footsteps stomping towards their way. The pair turned their heads towards the entrance to see Anna stomp her way towards them, a look of anger clearly on her face.

Once she stopped in front of them, she released a large huff when her teal eyes landed on Elsa.

“You.” Anna pointed at the blonde. “We’re going, now.”

“Where are we going?” Elsa asked, confused as the Queen had taken her hand.

“We’re leaving the ball. I already talked to my advisors.”

Elsa’s eyes widened. “Wait, what? I don’t think I should -”

“Queen’s orders.” Anna growled, looking at Elsa before glancing back into the ballroom.

Elsa sent a look to Eric, pleading for his help. Eric shook his head with crossed arms.

“Off you go.” Eric said. Elena’s eyes widened as the Queen pulled her through the halls. It seemed that they were walking towards the East Wing of the castle.

“Where are we going?” Elsa asked when Anna seemed to have pulled her into her room. Now that she noticed, she didn’t realize that there weren’t any eyes that seemed to have followed them when they left the ballroom.

Once Elsa was pulled into Anna’s bedroom, the Queen shoved her against the door before pressing herself awfully close to the blonde’s body. Elsa only raised an eyebrow at the girl while the Queen glared at her with dark, green eyes.

“What the hell was that?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Elsa answered calmly. Anna rolled her eyes.

“You know what I’m talking about! That kiss with Princess Cecilia.”

Elsa raised her hands up in defense. “I didn’t know she was going to do that, okay? Why are you so angry about it?”

“I’m not angry.” Anna huffed.

“You seem like you are.” Elsa laughed, reaching both her hands forward to cup Anna’s face.

The Queen attempted to stay angry, but she couldn’t seem to as Elena looked at her with those bright, amused and happy blue eyes, as she caressed her cheeks with the pads of her thumbs. “Tell me, why are you angry?”

Anna’s anger faltered, and instead, she became irritated at how Elena seemed so calm and loving and aloof and ugh! “I’m not angry.”

“Well, something is obviously bothering you.” Elsa giggled. “Did kissing Princess Cecilia bother you?”

The Queen looked away; her teal eyes still hard but softening slightly. “Yes…”

Elsa smiled. “And why did that bother you?”

A pout made its way towards Anna’s lips. “Becauseigotjealousanddon’tlikeitwhenshedoesthatandIreallylikeyou.”

“Sorry, come again? But slower please.” Elsa teased. Anna huffed, her teal eyes looking straight into Elena’s blue eyes.

“Because I got jealous and don’t like it when she does that and I really like you.”

Elsa hummed triumphantly, a small smirk making its way towards her lips as she continued to caress those baby cheeks. “Okay.”

Anna blinked. “Just okay?”

“I’ve told you this before and I’ll tell you again: I will always choose you. I wasn’t blunt with you about my feelings when we were out in the forest for nothing.” Elsa leaned forward and placed a kiss on Anna’s nose. “I will always choose you.”

Anna’s heart hammered against her chest. “B-b-but - “

“And for your information, Princess Cecilia was the one that initiated that kiss. It was unexpected for me, and if I had known she was going to do that, I would’ve pulled away.” Elsa continued to caress Anna’s cheek with her thumb. 

The Queen froze in her state, unsure of what to say anymore. One moment, she was mad, infuriated and livid at the prospect of having to compete with Princess Cecilia and how dense Elena was. Yet, with a few simple touches and words, Anna had calmed and turned into a nervous wreck in front of the girl.

“Now, what do you mean by you like me?” Of course, take Elena to be the one to bite the bullet - to ask in a straightforward manner about anything she had questions for.

Anna opened her mouth before closing it once more. How was she supposed to word it? How was she supposed to say it?

“No pressure, but I think your answer will help determine a few things moving forward.” Elena chuckled lightly. 

“No, no. I…” Anna blew out a breath. “I… I uhmm…” She didn’t know how to voice to the girl in front of her about the way that she had made her feel these past few weeks. How was she supposed to tell her everything that went through her mind, body and heart each time she was around? How would she explain it? Especially if it’s all about -

“I like you a lot in a romantic way that is purely not platonic.” Anna blurted.

Elsa looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and for a brief second, Anna wanted to take back her confession. She wanted to retract it, to try and salvage this whole situation, especially if it was going to ruin their friendship or relationship.

But the scene that occurred earlier that night flashed into Anna’s mind. How Princess Cecilia was smirking at her with an air of superiority, her arms crossed after she had kissed the Occult Demon right in front of everyone. Her conversation with Princess Cecilia briefly ran through her head.

_“I’m not going down without a fight, Your Majesty.” Princess Cecilia smirked at the girl. “Even if you may be friends with her, there’s nothing you can do about it if that’s all you’re going to stay as.”_

With everything that had occurred in the past hour, Anna decided there was no going back. “You make me feel safe and secure.” The redhead started. Elena stopped her ministrations on Anna’s cheeks as she stared at the Queen.

Anna took a shaky breath in. “Every time I’m near you, I feel like every touch that happens leaves my skin on fire. I crave your touch each time, and every time I’m near you, I can’t seem to keep those butterflies in my stomach at bay. I enjoy your company, your personality, your laughter and the way your eyes turn into crescent moons each time you genuinely laugh and smile. You make me feel normal, and I feel like the burdens of the world are lifted off of my shoulders when I’m around you - you help me relax.”

Anna exhaled a shaky breath, her teal eyes looking into those blue ones that she couldn’t seem to read at the moment. “It’s always exhilarating, fun and comfortable to be around you, regardless of what we’re doing. We can be out exploring around Arendelle, at the gardens feeding the ducks or in the library silently doing our own thing and I still feel as if every moment I spend with you is the best thing that has ever happened in a long time.”

“What I’m trying to say is…” Anna released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “I like you in a way where I want to always hold you, always be there for you through everything. I like you in a way where I want to receive your undivided attention and always crave every touch that we have. I like you in a way where I want to go out with you wherever we go. I like you in a way where I want to be the one that you can always turn to. I like you in a way where I want to be the one to give you everything you need and more because I care so deeply about you.”

Anna whispered. “I like you in a way where I want to be the one that can kiss you freely and be the only one that receives your love and kisses.”

Elsa slightly tilted her head as she heard every single confession Anna had. Their faces were inches apart, so close where Anna could feel Elsa’s breath on her lips, smell her peppermint breath and see every single faded freckle that the competitor had which wasn’t hidden by her mask.

“Then do it.” Elsa finally answered in a low voice. And that was all it took for Anna to crash her lips against the competitor’s. Her body pressed further into the older girl who was still against the door, and as their lips molded, so did their entire beings.

In that kiss, Anna felt anything and everything. She felt the softness of the girl’s lips, she felt the passion, the love and the adrenaline running through her veins. That single moment was something Anna knew would forever be ingrained in her mind. She wanted more, more of the blonde girl in front of her that still cradled her face, more of her company and more of anything and everything that Elena had to offer.

That one single kiss was all it took for Anna to be completely hooked and smitten. As they pulled away in need of breath, Anna’s teal eyes fluttered open to meet soft, loving blue ones that stared deeply into her own. At that exact moment, the Queen knew that she was far too deep in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe thought I should end it off on this note! Thank you so much again for reading :) Probably won't update next week, but for sure will two weeks from now!
> 
> In regards to the way this story is moving, I mentioned in the tags that we're in phase 2. Initially, I was planning to end this story when the competition ends, but I think looking at bigger world wise with the Sigils, I wanted to continue after the competition where it would explain further into the story about more worldly stuff. This is also why I changed the summary of this story! If I were to describe the phases in this story, I would say there's three arcs. We're on the second arc and the first was before Sigil time.
> 
> Although, you don't necessarily have to keep reading past the competition. I'll try end arc 2 in a way where you can 'finish' the story, but just know that there will definitely be more to this than just the competition! It's a LONG story, and I completely understand if you want to dip after the second arc. Arc 3 will explain more about the Sigils and much more deeper context on how future events of arc 2 play a part in arc 3.
> 
> Anyways, thanks again for reading!!! We're almost done with the competition phase, and super excited to write the post events cause it'll definitely be a handful hehe


	34. All These Years

_Anna’s teal eyes scanned before the plethora of documents in front of her. Her eyebrows furrowed and crinkled together in confusion as she crossed checked one document from another. The sounds of birds chirping seemed to be the only thing that sounded throughout the West Wing of the library._

_Anna’s bottom lip came inward towards her mouth. She didn’t understand. The amounts didn’t total, and she couldn’t seem to find all of the disparities within the two documents. Her eyes glazed over a third document, reading the descriptions that corresponded to the two documents._

_She heard a small chuckle next to her. Snapping out of her trance, she looked up to see Elena smiling at her fondly. The book that the competitor held, the same book that she would always read when they were in the library, was bare open. Coincidentally, Anna remembers the book well because it was the same book that Elsa and she would always read during story times at night._

_She never really got around to finishing that book._

_“What’s so funny?” Anna asked with a raise of an eyebrow._

_The blonde smiled softly at the Queen. “You look cute when you’re very focused and confused.”_

_The comment caused a light blush to cast over Anna’s cheeks. Elena smiled at the girl once more before leaning forward to look at the documents bared in front of Anna._

_“Do you need any help?”_

_Anna’s teal eyes gazed at the competitor in front of her. She studied how those blue eyes, decorated with a mask around those orbs, swept across her documents in such a casual manner. A fresh pair of eyes and a new opinion wouldn’t hurt._

_“Sure. I’m trying to figure out trade items, and looking at the past year’s invoices, it doesn’t seem to balance. Furthermore, we have to determine if it’s necessary to continue trade with certain items…” Anna started._

_In an instant, Elena had answered the Queen’s question. “Well, it seems that the total costs for these are the same.” Her pale finger glided over three items in the lower-middle end of one document. “But the cost per item is different from this document to the other. It’s difficult to decipher because we’re only given total inventory.”_

_“As a result, I’m assuming that because the cost per item is different for these three specific items.” Her fingers glided upward towards more so the beginning of the document. “These amounts are also off. That’s why both the inventory and the amounts don’t seem to balance.”_

_“In regard to what my opinion is on certain things that should be changed,” Elsa’s finger glided towards the description of the items and details not related to costs. “I think that the problem is in the winter, it’s nice to be prepared and have all the necessary items, but the citizens of Arendelle also have a tendency to stock up for winter themselves. As a result, items become surpluses during the winter to the point where once it carries over to the spring, people would much prefer to have the more fresher items because Arendelle prospers in all seasons.”_

_“I would cut back these imports by twenty percent.” Her finger glided back to the invoices document. “And also try and look at other kingdoms if you need those necessary items, especially because it seems a bit more overprice than usual.”_

_“The market price for these items is lower than what they’re selling it to you for. If you grab it from another kingdom at a lower price, you will be able to charge a lower price to the people within Arendelle.”_

_Anna looked in awe at how Elena was able to easily detect the disparity as well as provide a thorough explanation on the whole item. She couldn’t help but be amazed at how knowledgeable the competitor was. In fact, her opinion seemed to be the best thing that Anna could think of once she re-evaluated the pros and cons._

_“Wow.” Anna breathed as Elena’s blue eyes looked back up to meet the awe-stricken teal ones._

_“That’s just my thoughts though.” Elena said softly with a smile._

_“No, no.” Anna looked back down at the documents before looking back up. “I think it’s brilliant. And you definitely helped and solved this faster than I could ever.”_

_“It’s no problem at all.” Elena answered with a shrug._

_“How are you so good at everything?”_

_“I’m not good at everything.” Elena emphasized with an eyeroll._

_“Have you ever thought of going into the field of politics? Being an advisor, perhaps?” Anna asked._

_“Pfft, if I wasn’t born and raised as a fighter, anything is an option. Besides, I don’t think I would be able to in my standing. The only way would be if I married into royalty.”_

_Anna’s breath caught in her throat at that prospect. She wouldn’t mind having Elena around as another advisor to her. Although, the idea of always having her company, being able to go to bed with her each and every night seemed to have overtaken the Queen’s mind even after the competitor went back to reading her book._

_Anna couldn’t help but be distracted at the idea of having Elena by her side in more ways than one._

* * *

Anna’s eyes fluttered slowly open as she realized that someone was shaking her shoulder. The redhead looked up, noticing Elena smiling down at her but dressed in her white long-sleeve and black tights.

Shaking her head, Anna buried her face into the competitor’s neck and released a small sigh of content.

Elena chuckled. “Time to get up.”

“Did Gerda stop by?” Her groggy voice asked.

“No?”

“Then it’s not time to get up. More sleep please.” Her arms, which were wrapped around Elena’s waist, tightened. “You’re so soft.”

Elsa rolled her eyes. “Come on, we have to get going.”

“No.” Anna murmured, feeling her eyes become heavy. “Let’s just stay in bed for a bit.”

After last night’s events, the pair had stayed in Anna’s chambers, continuing to share small kisses, stories and laughter throughout the night. The Queen had changed out of her attire, but Elena had stayed in hers. It seemed that, at one point in the morning, the competitor slipped out of the room to change back into her casual attire.

“We have the breakfast we have to go to, remember?” Elsa tried to rationalize.

“Gerda didn’t stop by which means it’s not time.”

“Well, I did tell her that I would be the one to wake you up once we finish.” Elsa brought up.

“When did you talk to Gerda?” Anna mumbled, pulling away because she knew she had to get up now.

“When I asked her if I could get a cup of hot chocolate.”

“What?” the Queen sat up from the bed, rubbing her eyes.

Elena followed, sitting up on the bed as well. She reached over to grab the cup of hot chocolate on the bedside table while Anna stretched. “Like every morning, right?”

Anna eyed the cup with a small smile. “Why are you so sweet?” The Queen leaned forward to place a small peck on Elena’s lips. “Thank you.”

Elena smiled. “It’s no problem.”

Anna took a sip of her hot chocolate, humming in delight. “When do we have to go to breakfast?”

“In about half an hour.” Elena replied. “I figured that you would want to have some time to change.”

Anna placed the hot chocolate on the bedside table on her side. “Perfect, which means there’s more time to -” Anna crawled over so that she straddled Elena’s lap. Her arms came up as they wrapped around Elena’s neck, her hands in the tresses of her hair. Naturally, Elena’s hands came up to Anna’s waist.

The Queen leaned forward, her forehead pressed against Elena’s and her teal eyes hooded, gazing into those blue ones that shined with curiosity, as if it didn’t know that it was being pounced right about now.

“Can I ask you something?” Elena asked, her eyes looking down at Anna’s lips and her restraint having to go into overload.

“Anything.” Anna’s nose was filled with Elena’s scent.

“W-What are we?”

Those three words made Anna freeze for just a moment. Her teal eyes opened, staring into those blue ones that still somehow maintained its curiosity.

“What do you want us to be?” Anna murmured.

“I… well, you know that I clearly like you in a romantic way and I know you clearly like me.”

Anna hummed in agreement, her hands running through Elena’s blonde tresses.

“As much as I would want you in a way to show everyone and let everyone know that you’re mine, especially Hans.” Anna laughed at Elena’s comment. “I know that you’re still the Queen of Arendelle and I’m still a competitor in a competition held by Arendelle.”

“And?” Anna asked, her own curiosity overcoming her as she wondered where Elena was trying to go with this.

“We can’t really be together because I don’t want people to think that the only reason why I’m here is because we’re together. I also can’t do that to you - it would be unfair, especially with all the criticism you would receive if we were to engage in something more.”

“Elena…” Anna started, but the blonde only shook her head.

“Don’t say you don’t care, because even if you don’t, I do. I don’t want your life to become more difficult because of me. I… I like you a lot, Anna. So much though that I can’t stand the thought of having you suffer so many fights and criticism all because we became something more. We’re also in phase three of the competition, where everything is revolving around social aspects. I can’t take away the opportunity for other competitors to get to know you.”

Anna sighed, nodding her own head against Elena’s forehead. “Why are you so unbearably sweet?”

Elena chuckled, leaning forward to place a small peck on Anna’s lips. “Only for you.”

“We’ll figure this out eventually, but right now, we can’t go to the public and we can’t be anything more. We just have to be a Queen and a competitor.” Elena concluded.

“For now.” Anna sighed, knowing that the blonde made a good point. “But once this entire competition is over, I’m claiming what is mine.”

Elena laughed, and her laughter was something Anna wished she could have a voice recording of to listen to over and over again. “Fair enough.”

“Now kiss me before we have to leave to this stupid breakfast.” Anna commanded, and that’s all it took for Elena to lean forward, capturing Anna’s lips in a heated and passionate kiss.

* * *

The pair had arrived at the breakfast separately, with Elsa arriving first, taking a seat near the end where Eric had saved her a spot, and Anna arriving a few minutes afterwards to sit at the head of the table.

It wasn’t surprising to see all of the Princes taking up the first six seats on each side of the Queen. Furthermore, Elsa noted how Hans was the one that sat to the right of the table, bowing his head and pulling the seat out for Anna. Her gut twisted in an unpleasant way, but she shook the feeling off when Eric softly scoffed at the sight.

Sitting in front of Elsa was Mulan, another member of the Golden Pegasuses that had made it to top sixteen. Elsa had to admit that the girl deserved to be here - the bravery and confidence she exuded was something that any general in any army would desire from their own. Shang had sat across from Eric, awkwardly shifting in his seat and trying his best to perform proper breakfast etiquette.

“Thank you all for coming to this breakfast.” Anna took a sip of the hot chocolate in hand. “Please take the time to mingle with each other, learn more about each other and ask any questions you may have.”

With that, workers started to flood into the dining hall from the kitchen, holding plates to serve breakfast to the competitors and the Queen. The workers served the Queen and the Princes in the front while a few quickly scurried towards the end to serve the other competitors.

When a worker had placed a plate down, Elsa smiled at the middle-aged woman, thanking her for her help. The woman smiled at the competitor before leaving back into the kitchen. It seemed that she was the last one to be served, because once she had thanked the woman, she heard a scoff near Anna’s side of the table.

“Why are you thanking the help?” It seemed that one of the Southern Isle Princes had chimed in. Elsa turned her gaze towards the voice, seeing a look of disappointment from the twelfth prince in line.

“Why not?” Elsa asked with a raised eyebrow. Unknowingly to Elsa, Anna was looking at her fondly from across the table.

“They’re the help. They get paid to do this.” He rebuttal.

“It’s called gratefulness and mannerism?” Eric was the one to shoot back with a glare. The man rolled his eyes. “I get it, you wouldn’t understand considering that you lack it.” Eric remarked.

A tense silence shifted in the air before one of the older Princes chuckled awkwardly. “Why don’t we get back to the breakfast?”

Moving forward, there was a clear division between the competitors. The Princes were mingling within themselves with the exception of Hans, who was trying to get the Queen’s attention each second. The brothers would occasionally include the Queen in their conversations, but for the most part, they allowed their youngest sibling to conversate with the Queen. The second group was Mulan, Shang, Eric and Elena, who were discussing their experiences before the competition.

The breakfast ended as quick as it started. The Princes stood, bowing and thanking the Queen and everyone else for their time before exiting out of the dining hall. Shang and Mulan chatted about practicing their skills against each other considering that they lived in neighboring provinces. Eric stretched his body before notifying Elena that he was going to do his daily walk around the town.

This left Anna, Prince Hans and Elena left in the dining hall. Elsa’s blue eyes met with Anna’s aquamarine one, and before the Queen could leave to approach the blonde, Hans seemed to have intervened.

“Your Majesty, would you have any time available right now to join me on a stroll through the town?”

Anna’s eyes looked between Han’s green ones to Elena’s blue ones. The competitor gave the Queen a small, forced smile before bowing her head and leaving the dining hall.

She needed to do her daily training anyways.

Elsa navigated from the castle towards the forest, where she continued to do her trainings. This time around, she didn’t feel two pair of eyes, but a familiar pair that she understood who it was. Once she had threw her last dagger at a pink ribbon, the blonde laughed, running a hand through her hair.

“Do you want to give me any pointers on what I can do to improve? Maybe anything to help make this exercise a bit more difficult?” The sound of feet landing onto leaves resonated within the air and a chuckle that Elsa knew like the back of her hand echoed within the silent forest.

“Well, you are passing with flying colors if you were to ask me.” Kallum answered, his grey eyes looking across the forest. 

“So, nothing I can improve on? Nothing to make this exercise remotely harder?” Elena turned towards her mentor, who only shrugged his shoulders.

“Like I’ve said, I have taught you everything I could.” He shrugged his shoulders. The Spymaster looked up at the sky, or what he can salvage through the heavy trees. “Want to grab a bite to eat?”

Elsa had walked around, grabbing her daggers. She had just grabbed her last dagger and turned to the Spymaster. “Wouldn’t that be suspicious?”

Kallum shook his head. “Well, for the majority of the part, I will be the one watching you after my spies have reported to me about what happened yesterday.”

“They were as clear as day.” Elsa mumbled.

“More like you’re as observant and skilled as expected.” Kallum corrected. “Let’s grab a bite to eat, kid.”

“Alright, alright.” Elsa chuckled, following the Spymaster lead her back to town.

“We also need to discuss about what happened yesterday.”

Elsa sighed. “What is there to talk about?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe that kiss you shared with Princess Cecilia?” the grey-eyed man suggested.

“You know that she initiated.” Elsa argued, knowing well that there had to be a spy watching her yesterday.

“I do know that she initiated. Although, I’m talking about the events afterwards.”

“What do you mean? Eric dragged me out of the ballroom.”

They arrived out of the forest, but they weren’t in an area with people just yet. “Yes, but also how Anna had to tell me to have my spies back off when she left the ballroom. Of course, there was speculation once the Queen had left and people realized that you didn’t come back.”

Elsa stayed silent, following the Spymaster’s cadence.

Kallum sighed. “Which is also why I am watching you. Knowing Anna, she’s going to request this more frequently, especially when it involves you. It would be highly suspicious if I had to keep telling the spy that was on shift watching you to switch off with me.”

“I’m sorry.” Elsa mumbled softly.

“Don’t apologize to me.” The pair had arrived at the entrance, and ahead of them were people walking throughout the town. “Just make sure you don’t break her heart, okay? You somehow snuck your way back in, but I’m not surprised that you did.”

Once Kallum made his point, the pair entered into the busy streets of Arendelle. Kallum guided the competitor towards a small stand where the two ordered some dry noodles to quickly eat. They skirted around topics that both knew well of each other, but because they were in public, they had to keep up a facade to let everyone know that the Spymaster definitely did not know Elena nor choose her as a favorite.

Their lunch came to a quick end when Spymaster Kallum had lowly whispered to the girl. “You should get going to feed the ducks, right?”

Elsa laughed softly, nodding her head in agreement. “Right, I should get going.”

With a single nod, Spymaster Kallum stood and watched as Elena turned on her heel and headed straight towards the castle. The grey-eyed man released a small smile when he saw his apprentice walk away.

 _“You best not break her heart again, kid.”_ Kallum thought to himself, shaking his head once more before giving the girl enough distance before he would follow her. He had to put up an act that he was spying on her, even if they both knew what he was exactly doing.

Elena had stopped by the kitchen, asking for their old bread. The chef nodded their head, happy to see the young competitor that didn’t belittle him as some of the others did. He happily handed the bread, to which the blonde thanked the elderly man before heading directly towards the main garden of the castle.

When Elena had arrived at the lake, there Anna stood with hands clasped behind her, gazing at the ducks floating about the lake. The blonde competitor slowly made her way towards the Queen, opening the bag of bread and splitting it in half.

“Good afternoon, Elena.” Anna said without looking at the blonde.

“Good afternoon, Your Majesty.” Elsa stuck the piece of bread out. “Would you want to feed the ducks?”

Anna’s teal eyes broke away from the ducks, meeting those blue ones that she had woken up to earlier that morning. A small grin arose on her lips as she accepted the piece of bread. “Thank you, Elena.”

And so, the two continued their usual ritual of feeding the ducks each day around the afternoon. They stood in comfortable silence, tossing pieces of bread for the ducks to waddle or swim towards. Once their hands were empty, Anna was the first to break their comfortable silence.

“Are you heading to the West Wing library?”

“I always enjoy spending my afternoons there, Your Majesty.” Elena turned towards the Queen, her blue eyes shining bright under the sunlight. Anna looked towards the competitor, her teal eyes glinting with mischief.

“Would it be alright if I joined you? I think I may move to work in the West Library during these times. I would enjoy the company while I work.” 

“You’re always welcome, Your Majesty.” The blonde bowed her head. “Do you need help with moving your paperwork to the West Wing Library?”

Anna nodded her head. “If that is alright with you.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. Please lead the way.”

As it occurred the day prior, Anna had led Elsa from the gardens to the East Wing of the library. Once they had arrived at the front door of Anna’s study, the Queen opened the door before gesturing for the competitor to walk in.

The minute Elsa stepped foot into the study, she heard the door instantaneously close followed by soft lips against her own.

“How is it that I still yearn for you, your touches and your kisses, as if it were a drug? Even though we saw each other just this morning…” Anna breathed softly against the blonde’s lips. Before Elsa could even reply, the Queen pressed her lips against the competitor’s once more. The redhead’s hands went into Elena’s flowing, soft, blonde locks while Elsa comfortably placed her hands on the Queen’s hips.

Elsa hummed. “Are you admitting your addiction to me, Your Majesty?”

Anna leaned in for another kiss. “I will scream it to the whole world if it means for people such as Princess Cecilia to back off.”

The blonde laughed lightly against Anna’s lips, causing a grin to break out on the redhead’s countenance. Elena was the one to pull away, her hands reaching up to cradle Anna’s face as her eyes shined and looked fondly into Anna’s teal ones.

“What’s up?” Anna asked, catching her breath as she looked at the curious competitor.

“Just admiring your beauty.” Elena admitted. Anna could only blush in response before looking away and towards her paperwork in embarrassment.

The competitor chuckled, pulling away before walking towards the table with the paperwork. The blonde grabbed the items before turning her full attention back to the Queen. “Shall we get going?”

Anna pouted, nodding her head before leading the pair towards the door of the study. The redhead placed her hand on the doorknob, but before turning the doorknob, she quickly turned around to place a peck on Elena’s lips.

“Alright, let’s get going.”

Elsa stood, blinking her eyes as the Queen had opened the door and left the study. Shaking her head out of her trance, Elena quickly followed the Queen out of the study as the pair headed towards the West Wing library.

Once they arrived, they fell back into their usual routine when they would stay at the library. Elena placed Anna’s papers down on the third tier of the library while she would go out to scout for her book. Meanwhile, Anna would get right to work, believing that the faster she had done her work, the more time she would have to spend it with Elena.

The blonde competitor would arrive back at the table with a novel in hand, sitting to the right of Anna as they sat in silence. Long gone were the careless caresses and casual conversations, but a comfortable silence replaced it all. It saddened the Queen - the reasoning behind the change in environment, but at least Elena still stayed by her side even if there were people watching them.

The sound of a door swinging open snapped the two out of their focus. Looking up, they noted a man with disheveled brunette hair and grey piercing eyes in a white collared shirt, black slacks and a black trench coat.

The Spymaster ascended his way up towards the pair, stopping to stand in front of Elena and the Queen.

“Good evening, Spymaster Kallum.” Elena acknowledged.

“Hello Anna, Elena.” the Spymaster looked at the blonde that sat in front of him. “I believe that I had to deliver a message. Elena Snow, you will have an impromptu meeting in about fifteen minutes. Please report to the ballroom as soon as possible. I suggest that you head there now.”

The blonde competitor showed no confusion, but only compliance, as she stood up from her seat. The Queen was the one confused, looking in between Elena and Kallum. The blonde competitor bowed her head, thanking the Queen for her time before placing her book back and heading towards the ballroom.

“What is this event?” Anna asked as soon as Elena was out of earshot.

Kallum sighed. “It seems that one of your advisors have decided to make this impromptu event for all of the competitors. Your attendance is not necessary nor encouraged, Anna.”

The fact that her advisors had planned an event without her knowledge placed a bitter feeling in her mouth. The Queen placed her pen down and crossed her arms. “Why was I not notified of this? And why is my attendance discouraged?”

“Because your advisors are fearful that you will sway the results of the events in favor of the competitors that you show more interest in than others - one being the girl that left the library.”

Anna sighed. “Are you going to be there?”

“Of course.” Kallum scoffed. “I wouldn’t allow this event to count towards phase three if I wasn’t there. I am spearing this phase after all.”

“Alright, I trust you, Kallum.” Anna breathed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “What does this event pertain to, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Think of it as a series of group and individual interviews. Not to worry, all of the competitors were demanded to head towards the ballroom by all of my spies, meaning that no one, not even the Princes, could have the time to prepare or dress to impress.”

“Interviews? Conducted by who?” Anna inquired.

“Well, Queen Megara is here and there are also other sovereigns from other Kingdoms that have arrived to assist in the workings of phase three, after all. The advisors just thought that it would be best for the competitors to be exposed to only these high-ranking nobles and sovereigns in a more intimate and intimidating sense.”

“Meg is here? Is that where Hercules went off to?”

“She is here, indeed, and that is exactly where Hercules had gone off to once phase two was concluded.”

“And…” Anna’s tone was hesitant, but Kallum pushed for the sovereign to ask away. “How does he feel about Elena?”

Kallum scoffed. “It doesn’t matter what he feels or not. It’s absurd if he would still be afraid of his own team captain, especially considering that he is the general of the strongest army in the entire world.”

“I know…” Anna sighed. “I just don’t want his perception of Elena in the prior phase to sway his own vote when moving on to the third phase.”

“Even if it does, I’m sure that Elena will capture the hearts and interest of all the other sovereigns. She has captured Princess Cecilia’s interest after all.”

The mention of the raven-haired girl caused Anna’s hands to tighten into fist. Kallum, being the best Spymaster in the entire world, immediately noticed and laughed at Anna’s reaction.

“It’s not funny.” Anna growled.

“Really now? I find it amusing, considering that my suspicions are actually confirmed.”

“And what would those suspicions be?” Anna tried to calm down by taking a deep breath in.

“The fact that you really like Elena Snow, and the possibility of you falling in love with her doesn’t seem as something impossible or absurd.”

The Spymaster’s confession caused Anna to choke on her breath. She coughed, trying to calm down while the grey-eyed man smirked.

“Excuse me?” Anna asked, staring at the man who still wore his smirk.

“I say it how I see it, Anna. At least she reciprocates your feelings.”

Anna sighed, looking away with a small smile. “I hope so.”

Kallum’s smirk morphed into a smile. “I’m glad that you met her.”

Anna’s teal eyes looked back at the man’s countenance. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion at Kallum’s reaction. “You support this? Even if she is a competitor?”

The grey-eyed man shrugged his shoulders. “You’re happy and different… in a good way. If Elena Snow makes you happy and doesn’t hurt you, that’s all that matters to me.”

“But…” Anna looked away again. Her voice came out in a small whisper, “What about Elsa?”

“I still think she’s alive and out there.” Kallum confessed. “But if she was alive and out there and well, wouldn’t she have come back by now?”

At Kallum’s question, a frown made its way to Anna’s lips. Even the grey-eyed man, as stubborn as he was, admitted that the possibility of Elsa not coming back was probable.

Kallum, noting the tense shift and the uncomfortable aura, spoke, “I’m not saying that she stopped loving you kid, if that’s what you’re thinking. Maybe the reason why she didn’t come back was because she loved you too much.”

Anna sighed, a small frown making a way towards her lips. “Can you please leave? I think I just need some time to myself.” She released a shaky breath. “Once the event is over, can you please send over Elena?”

Kallum nodded his head hesitantly. “As you wish, Anna.”

With that, the Spymaster turned from his position and walked towards the exit. Glancing back once he reached the door, he noticed Anna’s teal eyes stare off into the distance, her bottom lip quivering. The grey eyed man released another sigh. His intention was to never hurt Anna, but he needed to give the sovereign some realistic insight.

The Spymaster exited the West Wing library and closed the door behind him.

* * *

The third eldest Southern Isles Prince shoved his finger into Elena’s shoulder. His voice growled low in front of all the sovereigns watching the sight before them.

“You’re not better than any of us, you hear? Let’s fight, fist to fist, right here, right now.”

Elena stared impassively at the man, blinking her eyes as she looked at his aggressive and angered green eyes. The blonde gave no answer and reaction to the man, angering him more.

The room gasped as he tried to lunge at the blonde, but Eric was the first to step in front of his friend. The Prince didn’t make it far as his brothers, Hans and Tim, the second eldest, held him back.

“Brother, please calm down.” Hans tried to intervene, his green eyes in a panic as he looked between his short-tempered brother and the impassive blonde. If anything angered his brother more, it was the fact that the blonde wasn’t giving him the reaction and attention he desired.

“Back off.” Eric snarled lowly.

“Now you need the Vigilant Fox to step in for you, Elena? The Occult Demon shouldn’t need anyone to protect them - how pathetic. Show me your true powers in a fight, Elena. Show me that you live up to the name everyone has given you.” The Prince tried to lunge forward again, but Hans and Tim held back their brother.

“Eric, it’s fine.” Elena’s impassive voice echoed within the empty and tense room. Eric didn’t move from his spot, and instead, he shook his head in response to his friend.

“This royal, spoiled punk thinks he has the right to pick a fight with you? Just because you didn’t give him the attention that he wanted? Just because you were making Queen Meg interested? He didn’t get what he wants, and as a result, he’s throwing an unnecessary tantrum. And if he wants to get to you, he has to get through me.”

“It’s alright, Eric.” Elena placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Don’t give him your emotions, he’s not worth it.”

His green eyes flared more at Elena’s comment, and with surprising strength, the third Prince in line slipped out of his brothers’ grasps, dodged Eric’s defense and lunged towards the Sigil. Elsa, clearly foreseeing this, moved to the side and allowed the man to stumble forward. Typically, Elsa would subdue her enemy in a weak position by slamming him to the ground and positioning herself to prevent them from standing. Instead, Elsa watched impassively as the man turned around.

His hands balled into fists and he immediately threw a punch at Elena. The Sigil moved to dodge it, and as the man continued his assault of fists, Elena made the slightest movements to prevent a punch from landing.

After a few punches, before Eric or the other Southern Isles Princes can intervene, Elsa caught both of his fists. With minimal to no effort, Elsa pushed against the man, and the Prince flew back a couple of feet, falling to the floor and landing on his butt.

The blonde sighed, shaking her head. “If you’re going to pick a fight, at least be aware of your weak defense. Don’t throw yourself so carelessly, it’ll get you nowhere.”

The man growled, immediately getting up and about to lunge at the blonde until he felt someone grab him by the back of his shirt.

“Enough of this.”

The cold voice of Spymaster Kallum made the Prince stiffen. The grey-eyed man looked between his calm apprentice to the tense Prince.

“You’ll embarrass yourself much more if you keep going at Elena. Furthermore, this event is for purposes of interacting and conversing with the others, _not_ picking a fight to show your horrendous, fighting capabilities.”

The Spymaster’s words definitely caused some of the Princes to snicker. Eric laughed while Elena only stood, staring at the man with impassive eyes and no reaction whatsoever.

“This event is adjourned. Prince Christopher, you will stay here. The remaining competitors, you are free to do what you may.” Kallum’s hard voice echoed within the air. The competitors, deciding to not go against the Spymaster’s demand, instantly left the ballroom which the event was held.

Elena was about to turn to leave as well until Queen Meg sauntered her way over towards the blonde. The brunette tapped Elena’s shoulder, causing her to turn around and meet the brown pools that peered at her with curiosity.

“Elena Snow, right?”

Elena nodded her head. True to Eric’s word, her conversation with Queen Megara was enjoyable, but of course, the competitor couldn’t fully introduce herself because of Prince Christopher’s abrupt intervention.

“Your reaction and style of defense is definitely astounding. Of course, also hearing from my husband, it seems that you are an exceptional fighter. Would you care to have dinner together? I would like to learn more about you, and possibly give you an offer post competition.” The brunette suggested with a smirk.

Elena opened her mouth, about to respond when Kallum was the one to answer for her.

“Apologies, Queen Megara, but Elena has a dinner obligation elsewhere for tonight.”

Queen Megara huffed, crossing her arms as her brown eyes looked at Spymaster Kallum’s grey ones. Elsa only looked at the man with confusion etched on her face, her head tilted to the side as she wondered where and why she had an unexpected dinner plan. 

“Dinner obligations? With whom?” The brunette sovereign asked.

“With Queen Anna, of course.” Kallum answered. His grey eyes looked at the blonde, and at that single look, Elsa knew that Anna needed her. With a nod of her head, the blonde turned towards the Queen of Exousia.

“Apologies, Your Majesty. I do have dinner plans with the Queen.” Elsa bowed her head.

Queen Megara released a huff. “No matter.” Her look of disappointment changed to that of another smirk. “We can always have a meal together another time, Elena.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. Please let me know whenever you would be available.” Elena answered. The Queen nodded her head, satisfied with the response before she turned on her heel to walk towards her husband. 

“Make sure to bring some dinner. Knowing her, she probably didn’t eat anything yet.” Kallum told the Sigil when she turned her attention back to the grey-eyed man.

“Will do.” Elsa answered. She bowed her head towards Spymaster Kallum, who only rolled his eyes.

“Get going.”

His commanding tone caused Elsa to roll her eyes. Standing straight up, the blonde turned on her heel and walked out of the ballroom.

She made sure to stop by the kitchen, asking for two servings of dinner before taking the food and journeying back to the West Wing library. Once she stood in front of the door, Elsa raised her hand and froze. Was she supposed to knock? Or would she just walk in? No one would typically knock on a library door, right? A door to a space that was open to the public?

Elsa let out a huff of breath. This shouldn’t be so hard, right? Why did she dreading in entering the room now?

_Probably because of Kallum’s demand for me to see her in the West Library._

Elsa knew that Kallum, the Spymaster and spearhead of the third phase, had basically commanded her to go and see the Queen. It was unusual, especially considering that it would only be her that would be having dinner with the Queen… in front of the entire public.

Shaking her heads out of her thoughts, Elsa placed her hand on the doorknob and swung the door open. When she looked into the library, she noticed that there was no one in sight.

The competitor released a breath of frustration. Of course, she wouldn’t be here. The event that she was pulled into lasted longer than usual, and Anna would usually call it a day regarding her work by now… or at least call it a day from the library.

Sighing with a shake of her head, Elsa noticed that her book was still placed on the table on the third tier of the library. Deciding that she needed to put the book away, the competitor walked up to the third tier until she arrived at the table.

Although, when she stood in front of the book, she noticed a slip of paper folded and tucked into the book, right below the cover. With her head tilted to the side in curiosity, Elsa’s cool and pale fingers swiped the folded piece of paper tucked in the book. Using one hand, since her other was occupied with carrying the dinner, the blonde unfolded the paper and noticed the familiar scrawl.

_Meet me at the place where we first met._

Her eyes scanned the hurried handwriting, wondering why Anna wanted her to meet at their old study. The two would only be in the room when Elsa would help the Queen with carrying her paperwork. Even then, Anna was always against the pair staying in that study for too long.

Elsa tucked the folded piece of paper between the take-out containers before grabbing her abandoned novel and placing it back into the shelves. Once she had done so, the blue-eyed woman descended the tiers of the library and exited, journeying to her next destination.

Traversing across the castle, Elsa smiled at some of the workers. When she had come across a guard, the Sigil merely nodded her head to them in acknowledgement. Usually, the East Wing of the castle was heavily guarded with someone at the start of the entrance to it. When Elsa had arrived, the guard moved to the side to allow the blonde to enter through, as if he had been expecting her.

Muttering a soft ‘thank you’, Elsa continued on her way towards the Queen’s study. Throughout her way up to the study, the competitor’s thoughts stranded back towards why Kallum had suggested, maybe even pushed, the fact that she had dinner with the Queen. Knowing the Southern Isles Princes, there had to be a few lurking in the dining hall or within the castle and considering that Queen Megara was staying in the castle as well, the sovereign of Exousia would have added things up.

_Is Anna okay?_

The simple question pushed Elsa over the edge. Yes, the two had grown closer than usual, and as a result, Elsa was shed on some information that she knew not a lot of people were aware of - from her feelings regarding Elsa to her nightmares.

That sent a shiver down Elsa’s back as she thought about the confessions that Anna had told her. She was grateful that the Queen was opening up much more, but it also was discomforting how Elsa was the cause of it all.

And the fact that Elsa was on a mission, she dreaded the thought of understanding that this was all temporary - that at one point, she would have to leave Arendelle, leave the competition, leave _Anna._

It made Elsa sick to her stomach as she stood in front of the closed door to their old study. She hated it and she knew that there was no stopping her. She _is_ a Sigil. She needed to continue to be a Sigil. Not only did she swear an oath, but she was also doing this because of Anna. As her Protector here, she couldn’t protect her from unforeseen circumstances. As her Protector, she couldn’t be there to prevent things such as the attack five years ago from happening.

As a Sigil, she could properly protect her. She could grab information with her other teammates; she could travel quickly to help prevent any threats from even entering a five-mile radius of Arendelle; she could make sure that Anna would never be harmed.

Shaking her head out of her thoughts, Elsa focused back to the task at hand. The future of her performance in the competition and her relationship with Anna sounded like a later problem. Right now, she needed to make sure that she was okay.

Lifting up her hand, Elsa knocked on the door.

_Knock, knock, knock-knock, knock_

“Come in.” She barely heard the voice, but it was enough for Elsa to place her hand on the cool doorknob and remove the item that separated herself to Anna.

When she swung the door open, she saw the Queen sitting at the seat, her face in her hands and her elbows on top of the wood. Elsa closed the door softly behind her and slowly approached the redhead, the takeout bags still balancing within one hand.

Once she stood in front of the table, Elsa quietly placed down their dinner on the side. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do. Was she supposed to approach Anna by the side? Was she supposed to be standing in front of the Queen, keeping distance between themselves?

With a shake of her head, Elsa went against her head and slowly made her way towards Anna’s side. The Queen, with head still in hands, released a shaky breath.

Elsa kneeled down next to the chair which Anna was sitting on. With careful hands, she reached over to place her cool hand on top of Anna’s upper arm.

“Are you alright?” Elsa whispered softly.

Anna didn’t reply for the longest time. There was only silence between the two, but eventually, Elsa could detect the small shivers that the girl in front of her released. She noted the shaky hands, the labored breaths and the sound of a small whine was all it took for Elsa to push herself forward, engulfing the girl within her arms.

The mere gesture caused Anna to release all that she held in. She released all that bothered her in the past few years, months, weeks. Clutching tightly onto Elsa’s white long-sleeve, Anna buried her face into the blonde’s shoulder before releasing the most heart-wrenching sob.

The night was filled with the sobs of the younger girl, her tears being released and unrestrained after all these years. And all Elsa could do was be there, whispering words of affirmations of saying that everything will be alright.

But throughout the entire time, what hurt Elsa the most was when the young girl had said in the most broken, staggered and hoarse voice,

“Did she ever love me?”

And all Elsa wanted to do was tell her everything, but she knew that she couldn't. She wanted to tell her that she always loved her - that she still loves her. That even after all these years of absence, of them being apart, her heart still belonged to her. That even after all these years, she still feels everything, all these overwhelming yet wonderful yet heart racing and exhilarating moments able motions with her. Anna was, and still is, the one that she wants even after all these years.

But she can't tell her that.


	35. Journals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eric is an underrated character. All my homies love Eric :)

Yes, Elsa had to admit, she broke a lot of promises when she had accepted her position to become a Sigil. So, what was stopping her from breaking her oath with the Tree of Life and the rest of her team? Anna wouldn’t tell a soul. Spymaster Kallum had discovered who she was without her needing to tell the intelligent, grey-eyed man; therefore, she didn’t necessarily break the oath with the Tree or her teammates.

Yet, Elsa knew exactly why she couldn’t tell the Queen. Spymaster Kallum discovered wholly by himself, and the young Sigil was sure that her mentor’s discoverance of her true identity didn’t mean that she broke the oath.

Because if it did, well, Elsa would have no recollection of the Sigils or the Kingdom of Silva.

How awkward would it be for her to wake up one morning, not remembering that she literally disappeared from Arendelle in the past five years?

Elsa blew out a breath of frustration as she stared up at the ceiling. The morning sun illuminated from the stray window, the morning quiet and colder than usual with a warm body pressed against her side followed by light snores. The Sigil looked down, admiring the sleeping Queen that snuggled into her side. How her teal eyes were hidden behind those eyelids, the cute button nose scrunching up on occasions throughout her sleep and how her mouth was slightly agape.

_ What am I doing here? _

Another question that thoroughly frustrated Elsa. Why was she here? How did she rope herself into this compromising position? She wasn’t supposed to attract Anna to the point where they were currently at. She was only supposed to befriend her where it was borderlining friend but more so an acquaintance.

_ Gah, it’s my fault. _

If only Elsa could control her attraction to the Queen. Although, it seemed that she was always drawn to the redhead, even after lacking interaction in the past five years. Elsa knew that she shouldn’t be here, especially if they were in phase three of the competition. Yeah, she knew that Spymaster Kallum would cover for her, but if there was anyone else that had spotted them together like this, whether if it was another spy, a staff member or Kristoff, she knew that she could kiss her spot in phase four goodbye.

She couldn’t fail another mission, not after she had failed the last one.

The thought of her first and only failed mission bubbled anger within her chest. Her jaw clenched as her mind flashed back to those three boats, the four people that had raised her and her entire team capsizing in a ship.

If it wasn’t for her team, the Sigil knew that she would enter into a downward spiral - that she would have permanently shut everyone out in the entire world. 

She released a breath, her jaw relaxing as she tried to calm her boiling blood and adrenaline. What was she doing here? She understood Jack’s intention on assigning her to this long-term mission, but why did it seem like the Spymaster of Silva had more under his sleeve?

“What’s wrong?” A soft murmur sounded under her. Elsa looked down, seeing those sleepy, teal eyes looking up at her under barely open eyelids.

“Nothing.” The Sigil answered softly, admiring the beauty before her. 

“Don’t lie to me.” Anna released a small and adorable yawn. “Relax your jaw. Tell me, what’s up?”

Elsa sighed, placing her nose on the top of the crown of Anna’s head. “What’s going to happen after the competition?”

“What do you want to happen?” The redhead’s voice was soft and tender.

“What I want shouldn’t matter.” Elsa chuckled.

“What you want always matters.”

Elsa shook her head against the crown of Anna’s head. “What if I don’t make it past phase three of the competition?”

“You will.” Anna affirmed.

“Will I really?” Elsa lowly chuckled. “I get a feeling that your advisors are not the fondest of me.”

“You’re not wrong.” Anna started. “But trust me, I know you will make it past the third phase.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because the person who makes the ultimate decision in phase three is Kallum. And although he may seem cold to you, he’s the one that had stood up for you during the second phase. That man is very fond of you even if he poorly shows it.” Anna pulled away from Elena, looking up at the older girl’s blue eyes. “Also, the fact that you have captured the hearts of so many sovereigns, including Princess Cecilia and Queen Megara, confirms that it will be hard for you to be disqualified from phase three.”

Elsa raised her eyebrow in confusion. “I did?”

“Of course you did.” Anna answered softly. “Spymaster Kallum had notified me right before you came. All of the sovereigns were smitten with your charm and especially with your small skirmish against one of the Princes.” Anna laughed. “Also, if you caught the eye and attention of  _ the  _ Queen Megara, I feel like disqualifying you in the third phase would definitely put a bitter taste in her mouth.”

“Oh.” Elsa tilted her head to the side. “I didn’t know I made such an impression.” 

“You did.” Anna smiled. “I’m not surprised that you did put a lasting impression on them.”

Elsa looked at the Queen in her arms. “Well, what about phase four? What if I don’t win the competition?”

Anna sighed, looking down at Elsa’s hands. She brought one up to her lips, placing a kiss on the top knuckles. “I honestly don’t know what phase four is going to be about. Nonetheless, I’m sure that you will do well during that phase as well. And regardless of if you win or lose the competition…” her teal eyes looked up from Elsa’s hand into those blue eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed for a quick second as her hands started to toy with Elena’s hand and fingers. “I still want to be with you… if you would have me.”

Elsa’s heart stopped against her chest as she looked at the shy redhead in front of her. A familiar heat rose to her cheeks as she saw Anna’s eyes quickly dart back down to their hands in meekness.

“Anna…” Elsa started.

“But I get it…” Anna intervened, her voice shaking. “You also have your friends and second family to get back to in the Kingdom of Corona. I can’t make you choose and take you away from that. I want you to be with them and be happy with them, but if you and your friends are willing to, I’m always here to help and would gladly support you if you were to move to Arendelle…”

Before Elsa could reply, there were rapid knocks on the door to the Queen’s chambers. Anna’s eyes widened as she quickly sat up, releasing hold of Elsa’s hand and speaking up. “Who is it?”

“Anna, open up.” Spymaster Kallum’s voice sounded on the opposite side of the door. The Queen’s eyes widened as she quickly turned to Elsa in a quick panic.

“Oh god, oh god.” Anna whispered in panic, her teal eyes sweeping across the room. “You have to hide somewhere.”

Before Elsa could suggest that she could jump out of the window, she stopped herself. She knew that Anna was aware of the structure of the East Wing, and so, it wasn’t wise for her to notify the Queen about that option.

“Quick, in the closet!”

Elsa only looked at the girl with a raised eyebrow as the redhead grabbed Elena’s hand to quickly haul her over to the closet. Anna pushed the competitor in, giving her a quick peck on her lips followed by a sorry before softly closing the door on her.

The Queen rushed over from her closet to her door. The knocks came again, and Anna was quick to swing the door open. The grey eyed man looked at the girl with arms crossed and a raised eyebrow.

“Everything alright, Anna?”

Anna released a small breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “Yes, I’m perfectly fine.” She offered the Spymaster a smile. “How may I help you, Kallum?”

The Spymaster hummed, peering past Anna’s head as his eyes surveyed the room behind her. The redhead nervously laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Kallum looked back at the Queen, his grey eyes glinting as if he knew something was up.

“I just wanted to inform you that there is a last minute open brunch today and a ball tomorrow night. Please report down to the courtyard in about ten minutes - the gates will open in about fifteen.”

“Open brunch as in open to the public?”

Kallum nodded his head. “It was a last minute endeavor, but nonetheless, something that the advisors were pushing for quite some time.”

“Do all of the other competitors know?” Anna asked.

“All except for Elena Snow.” Kallum sighed. “I swung by her bedroom earlier, but she wasn’t present.”

“Oh, I see.”

Kallum’s voice raised slightly in volume. “I’m planning to swing by her room one last time to notify her. Hopefully she’ll be there, but of course, I need to stop by the kitchens first.”

Anna watched as Kallum’s lips curved upward in a smirk. Anna rolled her eyes, releasing a huff as Kallum suggestively wiggled his eyebrow at her.

“You should get going.” Anna grumbled.

Kallum released a hearty laugh. “I still have to go to her bedroom to ‘notify’ her, but I will see you at the brunch.”

The grey-eyed man bowed his head with another chuckle before walking down the hall. Anna released a huff of irritation, slamming the door before marching over to the closet. She swung the door open, seeing Elena sitting in the center of the closet, her legs crossed over each other while her blue eyes looked up to meet the teal ones

“You should get going.” Anna frowned, the thought of having to leave the presence and comfort of Elena so soon. The blonde nodded her head with a smile.

“Alright, I’ll see you later?” Elsa stood up and walked towards the door.

Anna nodded her head. “Yeah, I’ll see you later.”

With that, Elsa left Anna’s chambers. Once the competitor had left her room, Anna’s eyes couldn’t help but wander down to her hands. She stared at them, her eyebrows furrowing in thought.

* * *

Elsa stood on the side, the sun beating down onto the open courtyard as people of all classes, whether it were citizens, nobles or sovereigns, mingled about.

_ Open brunch, huh. _

Elsa’s eyes scanned the area while she sipped her coffee. Guards were all around the area, standing still and watching in the case of anything happening. Kristoff, the head of it all, had stood near the entrance. Meanwhile, Spymaster Kallum seemed to be the one that was standing next to Anna, staying by her side throughout the entire time.

From what Elsa could see, she didn’t seem to identify any possible threats.

The public brunch was mellow with people coming and going, and Spymaster Kallum seeming to make sure that the Queen’s safety was his number one priority. At one point, a wild Eric had approached Anna and Kallum, striking up a conversation with them. Around the end of their conversation, Eric had cheered victoriously while Kallum rolled his eyes and shooed him away. Once he was shooed away, the blue-eyed man proceeded to scale the stairs from the courtyard and into the castle.

“Lovely weather we’re having here.” A familiar voice rang through Elsa’s ear. The Sigil’s blue eyes widened as she turned to her right, seeing a familiar head of soft, voluminous red hair and light blue eyes that continued looking ahead towards the crowd, mimicking her actions during the brunch.

The redhead was dressed in a light-green long dress with sandals - an unorthodox yet typical attire for the newcomer.

“Also, name is Arianna.” The girl smirked as she continued to scan the crowd.

“What are you doing here?” Elsa asked in curiosity with a raise of an eyebrow. She wasn’t notified that Ariel would be paying a visit to Arendelle.

“I can’t stop by to help out?” Ariel laughed.

“Is anyone else here?” The blonde sighed, staring ahead to people watch.

“The leader is, but he is going to be working undercover and incognito.”

“Why?” Elsa whispered, seeing Anna preoccupied with conversing with citizens, sovereigns and other competitors.

“Because our Jacky boy thinks that this competition is coming to a close soon, and that we should be here for the ending.”

“And what about everyone else?”

“No worries, they’re just back at home.” 

Elsa sighed. “Any threats I should be aware of?”

“I don’t know, you tell me.”

The blonde rolled her eyes at the redhead’s attitude.

“Anyways, I will be around if you need me. I just wanted to stop by and say hi. Jack will also be around, but not really in public.”

Before Elsa could have the opportunity to reply, Ariel bowed her head with a smirk before wandering off into the crowd. 

The blonde huffed in frustration. Leave it to the second, most experienced Sigil to be so vague with her. Nonetheless, the competitor continued to survey the crowd, and as her blue eyes met the teal ones, she couldn’t help but smile when the Queen subtly, but not so subtly, gave her a small wave.

* * *

The day continued onwards with Anna being preoccupied with greeting the new guests. Although it seemed like their routine was put to a stop for the day, Elsa was grateful for her time away from the Queen as she lingered longer than usual in the forest.

The competitor sat at the bank of the river, fish on a stick in hand as she looked at her two teammates dressed in their casual, non-Sigil attire. In that moment, although it may seem like Elsa was sitting on the bank with two others, from the eye of an outsider, the competitor was sitting on the bank by herself, enjoying her food while basking in nature - courtesy of Jack’s powers.

Elsa ran a hand through her hair in frustration. “So you’re telling me that phase three is coming to a close soon?”

Jack nodded his head, taking a bite out of his own fish. “We already have some intel on how there are already a few competitors that they disqualified.”

Elsa tilted her head to the side. “How would you know that?”

“Well, while you’re off basically courting the Queen, there have been rumors that confirm the disqualification of a couple of the Southern Isle Princes.” Ariel commented.

Elsa rolled her eyes. “And how many people proceed to phase four?”

“Eight.” Jack answered. “Eight people will proceed to phase four. They’re hoping that the new few events will determine who will stay and who will be disqualified. The advisors want to speed up the process.”

“Why are they in such a rush to speed up the process?” Elsa asked quietly. She knew why - Kallum had told her weeks ago the reason behind the entire competition. She just needed Jack to confirm her suspicions, and to directly follow up with why he was pushing for her to accept the prize.

“Elsa, I still hold what I told you before you left for Arendelle.” Jack started, his eyes darting to a confused Ariel.

“Which is?” Ariel chimed in, her blue eyes looking at their leader with confusion.

“That she is to accept the prize no matter what the circumstances are.” Jack said with a smile. Elsa stopped breathing as she saw Jack give her one of those smiles - those smiles of affirmation, those smiles of care and fondness and promise.

“Do you know what the prize even is?” Ariel hissed, clearly knowing what were to happen if Elsa did win the competition.

Jack chuckled lightly. “I do, in fact. Which is why she needs to accept it.”

“But why…” Elsa asked, her eyes softening at her leader. She saw the man slowly let his walls down, let his cool down as his cobalt blue eyes shined with this somberness, but it wasn’t a bad somberness.

“Because you and I both have promises we need to maintain.”

His response caused Ariel to groan in frustration. “Elsa is our biggest and strongest asset. And aren’t you forgetting the fact that she is tied with the Tree of Life? Have you even thought about the repercussions?” Ariel hissed.

“We’ll figure it out when the time comes.” Jack waved his hand.

“What do you mean we’ll figure it out when the time comes? She can lose her memory if she breaks the oath! Heck, anything beyond just memory loss can happen to her considering that no one has broken an oath with the tree before.”

“This is my decision, and as leader of the Sigils, my decision is the final decision.”

Ariel released a huff of breath, abruptly standing and shaking her head. “This is ridiculous. You’re doing this because you’re both love stricken, weak idiots who rely on others heavily too much for your own good.”

“Ariel…” Jack started.

“I’m going for a walk.” The redhead huffed, turning on her heel and walking away.

Jack groaned, rubbing his temples in frustration as he watched his teammate walk away. Elsa still sat in her spot, watching her leader clearly distressed about Ariel’s behavior. When the Sigil finally turned around, he huffed again in frustration.

“Just because of that stupid Southern Isles Prince, she despises love. This is absolutely ridiculous.”

“When did you know?” Elsa asked softly, her icy blue eyes gazing up at the Silva Sigil.

Jack’s frustrated façade slowly faded away into a state of calmness and coolness. He chuckled softly. “I knew before I decided who I needed to assign this mission to.”

“Why? Why now, why?...” She didn’t know what to say. Jack set her up to all of this, but what was his ulterior motive? Ariel did make a point about the whole oath situation, and the fact that there was still a larger evil out there that the Sigils needed to deal with…

Jack turned around, looking ahead towards where Ariel had stormed off to. “If there’s one thing that I can do right, it would be this moment. I messed up in everything else, and maybe trying to help you back to Anna is the only thing I can do right as of now.” The man shook his head, his brown hair bouncing with each shake. “I’m going to go and find Ariel. But even after everything, my order for you still stands, Elsa. If you are to win the competition, you have to accept the prize.”

“To be Anna’s new Protector?” Elsa breathed.

“Precisely.” Jack answered before walking towards the direction that Ariel had fled towards.

With that, Elsa sat on the river bank on her own with a half-eaten fish in hand. She didn't know how she felt. She wanted to be with Anna, and yet, she had a feeling that it wouldn’t just be a walk through the park.

* * *

“Eric?” Anna stood at the door of one of the smaller libraries on the ground floor of the castle. The Queen was walking through the castle, chatting amongst the visitors when the blue-eyed competitor had come running towards her, requesting for a meeting if she would have the time.

Of course, the urgency of his voice had piqued Anna’s interest, and now, here she stood. The raven haired man had books that seemed like diaries spread across the table. His eyes looked up frantically at the Queen, and all Anna could do was wonder what had gotten him so worked up.

“Can you please close the door?”

Anna slowly nodded her head, closing the door behind her. Eric waved his hand, signaling for the Queen to walk over towards his table of books. The redhead approached hesitantly until she noticed the scrawl of handwriting within the books. Her eyebrows furrowed, remembering her interaction with Kallum and Eric earlier that morning during the brunch.

“I see that you have gotten to reading Spymaster Kallum’s journals.” Anna noted. Her eyes wandered towards the single piece of paper in the middle of the desk, the handwriting clearly different from the handwriting within the copious number of books sprawled across the table.

“I did… and there were a few things that I noticed.” Eric started.

“Which is?” Anna asked hesitantly.

“Spymaster Kallum’s first, successful star pupil - Elsa Winters. Eldest child of Brandon Winters, who was the prior Protector to your father, and also the father to Kristoff Winters. This would mean that the current Protector and Captain of the Royal Guard is Kallum’s pupil’s brother.”

Anna froze, her spine tense and rigid and her eyes wide as she stared at Eric, who was continuing to scan his eyes across the paper with his handwriting.

“Kallum was very proud of this one. She was the first to not only meet, but exceed his expectations, to the point where she was going to be offered as the new Spymaster of Arendelle, even though she was your Protector back then and bred to actually be in Kristoff’s current position.”

Anna didn’t reply, and her silence was only confirmation for Eric to continue. Without even looking up, Eric continued. “Striking, platinum blonde hair and crystal blue eyes were her prominent features with her pale skin tone. Her adeptness with a sword and the ability for her to pick up using daggers was what surprised Kallum. Of course, the “kid”, as Kallum seems to mention throughout his journals, will never be able to surpass his skill in daggers, but it can be close to his level.”

Anna knew that Kallum had journals of his travels, but she didn’t know that his journals had extended so far as to the first time he had met Elsa. What surprised the Queen even more was the fact that Kallum allowed Eric to read his journals.

“Is there anything of Elsa that you remember?” Eric asked, finally looking up from the piece of paper in his hands.

Anna shook out of her shocked trance, clearing her throat before looking away. “What do you want to know?”

“Any habits that she did. Do you recall any that were prominent?”   


Anna breathed. Did she remember anything about Elsa that she did? Any habits? It’s been years… so many years that as much as Anna wants to try and remember, things about Elsa seem to fade. It all started with her scent, to her memory of the sound of her voice and then finally, to her habits. Anna couldn’t remember much about the girl, not after everything that she, herself, has gone through the past five years.

“I-...” Anna looks down at her hands, and she can’t help but wonder why her heart is rapidly beating against her chest. She can’t help but wonder why her hands are tingling as her mind wanders to earlier that morning when she woke up with Elena. She has held hands with Elena many times before this morning, and yet, why did this exact morning feel so different? Why did toying with her fingers make her feel different?

“It’s alright if you don’t.” Eric affirmed after the silence. “I just wanted to know anything you knew about her before I delve further into Kallum’s journals.”

“W-why do you want to know?”

A small silence followed. Eric stood, thinking through his answer while Anna’s teal eyes gravitate back towards the competitor. Eric opened his mouth, about to speak, before he closed it once more. Although, Anna was patient as she waited in silence, knowing that Eric was just trying to find the right words to say.

“Don’t you find it odd… that Elena Snow is skilled in a sword and daggers, similar to that of Elsa Winters? I mean, platinum blonde hair, blue eyes and pale skin isn’t uncommon- I see many people with those attributes back in my hometown, but a girl having those features and being a skilled fighter kinda is, don’t you think?”

Anna didn’t answer. She always knew that it was odd. Heck, the first night that she had met Elena, she was instantly drawn to her.

“It’s just…” Eric looked across the books on the table. “Spymaster Kallum gave me the opportunity to read through his journals. Of course, I wanted to learn more from the Spymaster and how he got to where he is today, but reading through his journals, it makes me wonder why he seemed so open to it.”

Anna looked back down at her hands, her eyebrows furrowing back to all her interactions with Elena. From what she could remember of Elsa, she was kind, sweet, shy and reserved. She was always so graceful, open and proper. Elena was chivalrous and charming but secretive. Elena barely had an ounce of awkwardness and more this ‘cool’ aura to her.

She thought back to all her interactions with Elena, from the highs to the lows. The thought of Anna always crying to Elena about Elsa was what made the Queen wonder who Elena exactly was. Whether the blonde competitor had a ton of patience or not, wouldn’t it have been a red flag for Anna to always be sobbing about her first love to a girl that she also showed interest in?

Yet, all those times that Anna did break down, it didn’t seem to bother Elena.

“I’ll let you know if I discover anything.” Eric discussed, grabbing one of the books. “If there’s anything at all that you remember about Elsa, even if it's the most obvious or smallest habits, please let me know.”

Anna released a small breath. “Alright, I’ll let you know.”

Eric nodded his head. “I’ll see you later, Anna?”

Anna only nodded her head in response as Eric gave her one last smile before focusing back onto the journal in his hands.

The redhead took a glance at the clock. Typically at this time, herself and Elena would stroll through the gardens to feed the ducks. With a small sigh, the Queen left the library with thoughts of what Eric had proposed on her mind.

* * *

“Say what?” Kristoff asked with arms crossed and a raised eyebrow. Eric stood behind the table, releasing a huff of breath while his eyes still scanned across the plethora of books. 

“You’re Elsa Winters’s youngest, and only, brother, right? You must know what habits she had.”

“That is right, but why would you need to know that?”

“Because I feel like Spymaster Kallum has given me this implied, hidden task that he wants me to figure out, and the first thing I need to know is everything about Elsa Winters - his first, successful apprentice.”

“Elsa was everyone’s star pupil.” Kristoff grumbled, his arms still crossed on his chest in a hostile manner.

“I can tell that you seem to have bitter feelings about your lost sister?” Eric looked up from his position with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, considering that I lived in her shadow the entire time says a lot, doesn’t it?”

The blue-eyed competitor placed the journal that he held in his hands back down onto the table. Giving his full attention to the brown-eyed man, Eric stared at him, studying his facial expressions and stance.

“Do you miss her?”

Kristoff looked away, feeling those blue eyes continue to study him and unravel everything about him.

Eric only stood at his spot, patiently waiting for a reply as he continued to observe Kristoff’s facial expressions. He could tell that the man was hiding something.

“She’s the only family I have left. The only blood relative I have left anyways.”

Eric’s eyebrows furrowed as he continued to stare at the man in front of him.

“Do you miss her?

Kristoff released a breath, his hard gaze morphing into that of ponderment. “I wasn’t supposed to be the Captain of the Royal Guard and Anna’s Protector. I wasn’t trained to take these positions, and we can obviously see how I’ve been fired to be her Protector.” Kristoff sighed, his arms on his chest starting to loosen. “I can barely keep at being the Captain of the Royal Guards.”

Kristoff’s brown eyes started to soften as he continued to stare out into space. “I always would never be able to meet up to her skill, and everyone knew that. When she disappeared, all of a sudden, all eyes were on me to take her place and it was so much pressure. At first, I thought that my father’s distaste and treatment towards me was because I wasn’t as good as Elsa, but once she had disappeared, it felt like he hated me.”

A bitter and dry laugh left Kristoff’s lips. “He would always compare me to her, and each time we practiced, it seemed that I would always make him so disappointed. It was as if, once she was gone, my father wasn’t really a father anymore.

Eric leaned forward, both his hands placed on the table as he continued to stare at the ex-Protector. “So, if you’re not Anna’s Protector, who is?”

“Spymaster Kallum has been her temporary Protector since phase two. If you haven’t noticed, the man didn’t seem to have left back onto his journey to find Elsa, even though his presence wasn’t necessarily required after phase two.”

“But isn’t he the spearhead of phase three?”

“He wasn’t supposed to, but he stepped in oddly during phase two. Everyone was shocked to realize that he wanted to stay.”

Eric hummed in contemplation, digesting the information that was currently being provided to him. “You never answered the question... “

Kristoff sighed again. “I just… I would be so relieved if she were to come back and take my jobs. It’s just that… my relationship with Elsa was more so of a role model sort of thing. She was the poster child and I just hid in her shadows. We would mostly interact during our trainings with our father until Spymaster Kallum took her under his wing.”

“Do you miss her?”

Kristoff released a shaky breath, closing his eyes as a shiver ran through his body. His mind couldn’t help but wander to one moment in time, about a month before Spymaster Kallum had taken Elsa under his wing.

_ Kristoff sat in the corner, his back leaned against the wall as he released a breath of exhaustion. His eyes gazed at the sight in front of him - how his eldest sister, at the age of seventeen, was kneeled in front of their father. _

_ Kristoff knew that this was one of the more harsher days. He watched as Elsa’s hands balled into fists, her eyes narrowed at their father while the man shook his head.  _

_ “I understand that you would like to spend time with Anna, but you must attend this practice with the rest of the Royal Guards. As your duty -” _

_ “Who will protect her while I’m gone?” Elsa’s voice was stern, but never loud. She would never yell at their father. _

_ “I will.” Their father said with a raised eyebrow. “In your position, you have to also be familiar with the Royal Guards, their habits and their training. The earlier you are exposed to them, the easier it will be for you to acclimate and take over my job.” _

_ Elsa released a breath of frustration. “But Anna - “ _

_ “Whatever plans you may have with the Princess can wait, Elsa.” Brandon scowled at his eldest child. “It is your responsibility to be good at protecting her and being the captain of the royal guards.” _

_ “Father…” Elsa started. _

_ “No, Elsa. I will not hear it. You need to remember what your responsibility is, and that is final. I expect to see you in the courtyard in a few hours.” Brandon finished, walking towards the door and leaving the room. _

_ When their father had left, Kristoff watched as his eldest sister ran a hand through her blonde wisps and over her single braid. If there was anything he can say about her that was a fact, it was that she had a tendency to run a hand through her hair and braid when she was stressed. _

_ He heard his sister release a frustrated sigh before she turned her attention towards her younger brother. Kristoff, pretending as if he didn’t just overhear the entire conversation, casually turned away and sipped his cup of water. _

_ Kristoff heard footsteps approaching him until he felt a presence next to him. He heard his eldest sister sigh before hearing a small thud. In the corner of his eye, he could see the blonde leaning her head against the wall with her eyes closed. _

_ The youngest knew that Elsa was never the type to defy their father - never the type to fight back. When she did fight back or try to rebuttal, it was always with Anna in mind. To say that Kristoff was envious of the girl would be an understatement - she was a skilled fighter who had the opportunity to always have Anna by her side, to have the opportunity to capture the Princess’s attention since a young age. _

_ “I never want you to feel like you’re forced into doing something, ok?” _

_ His sister’s soft voice snapped him out of his trance. Kristoff turned so that his eyes fully on his sister, who still had her head against the wall and her eyes closed. _

_ “What do you mean?” _

_ Elsa never opened her eyes. She didn’t turn her attention towards her younger brother. Instead, she only released a small breath. _

_ “I don’t want you to feel forced into doing something that you don’t want to do. I want you to have the freedom to do as you wish, Kristoff. You deserve that at least.” _

_ Kristoff wasn’t sure what to say. What was he supposed to say? It wasn’t like their father was forcing him to do things as extreme as Elsa. Sure, he was compared to the older girl and was always told that he would need to take her place if anything were to happen, but seeing the bond between Anna and Elsa, he was sure that nothing would happen. _

_ “So, if father ever forces you to do something you don’t want to do or you’re not comfortable with, you can always let me know. I’ll talk to him.” _

_ Kristoff opened his mouth before closing it once more. Finally, his sister opened her eyes and turned her head so that those soft, icy blue eyes were staring into his soul. _

_ “Kristoff, I promise you that I will stand up for you if father ever forces you to do something you’re not comfortable with - you just need to tell me, okay? I know I don’t seem like the type to stand up against father, but I will for you. I don’t want you to be in a position like I am. I just want you to be happy.” _

Kristoff was taken back into reality when he felt wetness on his cheeks. Swiftly bringing a hand up, he wiped his own tears off of his cheeks before he turned around so that his back was faced to Eric.

“I have to go back to the Royal Guards.” His hands clenched into fists as his voice croaked.

Eric didn’t say a word as he watched the blonde, burly man make his way towards the exit of the library that Eric seemed to have claimed. The man placed his hand on the doorknob, but instead of turning it to instantly storm out, the man spoke up.

“You wanted to know anything I would remember about Elsa, whether it was something big or small, but mainly habits, right? She had a tendency to run a hand through her baby wisps and on her single, platinum-blonde braid when she was distressed. I’m sure she didn’t do it much around the Queen, especially considering that Anna was more so her happy, safe haven than someone that would cause her stress.”

With that, Kristoff had left the library. Eric stood stiff in his spot, his eyebrows furrowing as he processed the information that Kristoff had just given him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe ty for reading! As mentioned before, arc 2 is coming to a close! See u SOON :3


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